Bloodlines? Why am I on the cover of a book?
by kajjjann
Summary: Set after the Indigo Spell. It is the group from Bloodlines and some characters from VA who reads the Bloodlines series. Mostly Sydney's and Adrian perspective, but also some of the others. Some of the characters who are there are: Sydney, Adrian, Rose, Lissa and Zoe. Note: I will correct the texts a bit soon. For example remove my small messages to my Beta
1. Reading the summary

So this is not a new story, I am just re-uploading it since it was taken away by fanfiction... I hope it gets to stay this time!  
THIS CHAPTER IS NOT READ THROUGH BY A BETA! Loads of misspelling and grammar mistakes!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Bloodlines or Vampire Academy world, it is all the work of Richelle Mead.

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"Wake up! Sydney, wake up!" I felt someone shaking me and opened my eyes, wide with fear. I soon saw that it was Rose Hathaway, a dhampir that I had gotten close to first when I helped her out in Russia, and then later when I had helped her when she was on the run from her entire world, accused of high treason and of killing the moroi queen.

"Rose? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be protecting queen Vasilisa?" I was glad to see her, even if she was half a vampire, she was my friend and I had missed her.

"Sydney, look around you. You aren't in you dorm at the school anymore. We are in some sort of apartment or something, there is no windows and the door is locked! Come with me." I got up from my bed as soon as a realized she was right. I was in my pajamas, the same one I had put on the night before, in my dorm. I followed her out of the door from the room where I apparently had been sleeping. I didn't bother changing into normal clothes for two reasons: Rose had seen me in pajamas before so I didn't think it was necessary, and number two I didn't have any other clothes.

"Hey guys, have you found anything?" I heard Rose speaking, which made me realize there was other people there. I looked around me and saw the entire "Melrose" - family with Jill, Eddie, Angeline, Adrian, Neil and Zoe. Zoe sat a bit away from the others, with a terrified look on her face. She had come to us just three days before, and was still not used to the moroi or the dhampirs. When she saw me, she flung up and to my side. She was shaking, so I laid my arm on her shoulder, and she snuggled close to me. Except from the Melroses, there was more people in the room. They were: Micah and Trey from Amberwood, The queen and her boyfriend, Rose' mother Guardian Janine Hathaway, her father Abe Mazur, Sonya Karp and some more people who I didn't know. Suddenly Guardian Dimitri Belikov came out from a room with a girl who looked a little younger than me, maybe Jills age.

"Just three locked rooms, but no more people. But I also found this" he said to Rose, while giving her a letter. She looked at it and then turned to me. She handed me the letter and said:

"It has your name on it. Open it and read, maybe it tells us why we are here, and where here is." I slowly took it from her, confused. Who could it be from? I opened it, and started to read aloud:

"Dear Friends! I have gathered you here so that you finally can come to peace with everything in your lives. You will read some books, who will tell you about everything you need to know. You will start by reading the Bloodlines series which by now has three books. Then you will continue with the Vampire Academy, even though the first series is a spinoff from the second, it is important that you read in my correct order. When you all have finished you will finally have no secrets to one another which will make it easier for you to be as you are supposed to. There will of course be arguments and some unpleasant feelings while you read, but please do remember that this is for your own good. I wont let you leave this room until all of the books are finished, but there is food, clothes, and feeders, well everything you can possibly need here for the meantime. You will all take turns in reading, and please make sure that everyone gets to read just as much as the others.

Enjoy your time,

Love Richelle."

"What does that even mean? What books?" Rose screamed out in frustration, and tore the paper from my hands. She read it again, but didn't find any new information, which seemed to upset her.

"I found them" Vasilisa said and held up a package which seemed to be the books. Rose looked like she was about to start screaming again, but Dimitri put a hand on her shoulder and said:

"Roza, calm down. There is nothing we can do about, so i say we just get going. Okay?" She still looked pissed, but did as he said and sat down on a couch with him. Suddenly Zoe and I were the only ones standing, so I quickly dragged her with me to the last couch were we sat down. Vasilisa had picked up the first book and was just going to start reading the summary when I said:

"I'm sorry your highness, but I think that maybe we all should introduce ourselves before we start reading? I mean it would feel slightly weird reading in a group where almost no one knows everyone." I was a little scared that she would be angry with me for interrupting her, but just as Rose had told me she just smiled and said:

"That sounds like a great idea Sydney, but please do not call me you highness. Lissa will be just fine. Should I start?" No one said against her so she said:

"Well, my name is Lissa." She looked unsure like she wondered if she should say something more, but the others looked like they though it was enough. We moved along in the circle we had formed:

"My name is Christian."

"Mia."

"I'm Jill."

"Adrian."

"Eddie."

"Angeline."

"Sydney" I said, looking at my sister. She took a deep breath and then said:

"Zoe."

"Micah."

"Trey."

"Sonya."

"Mikhail."

"Abe Mazur." Naturally he couldn't just say his first name like everyone else, he just had to be special.

"Janine."

"Neil."

"Rose."

"Dimitri."

We had gone by everyone, so Lissa picked up the book again. She said:

**Sydney protects vampire secrets - and human lives.**

"Hey! Is this from my perspective?" I called out, scared to death of what we might hear. Rose just smiled evilly at me and said:

"I don't know, I guess we will have to find out." I held back a groan, this was going to be torture. Then Micah spoke:

"Vampires? What is this, some sort of fantasy book?" I jerked my head up, I had forgotten that he didn't know about vampires. All the others just looked at me, expected me to solve the situation. I said:

"No Micah, it's not. I guess we will have to tell you, you will find out even if we don't. Can someone tell him?" They just looked at me, and this time I groaned. Before I had the chance to say something, Zoe spoke up:

"She can't, just like I can't. The tattoo makes it impossible." I looked at her, a little guilty with her not knowing that I had broken the tattoo, but I knew I couldn't tell her. I just hoped it wouldn't be in the books. Rose spoke up and said:

"Oh, I forgot about that. Well..." She told Micah about the dhampirs, strigoi, moroi and the Alchemists. She also told him about how the used feeders instead of killing people, which looked like a relief to him, but a part form that he paled a lot, but at least he seemed to believe her. Suddenly he turned to Trey and asked:

"Did you know this? Are you one of them? And Jill, did you know this?" He looked desperate to hear a no from both of them, but he got disappointed:

"Yes i knew, but only because I was a part of a group called warriors of light. It's a group who fights the vampires, all of them, not only the strigoi." Jill then said:

"I am a moroi, Micah. I am sorry for lying to you, but I had no choice." She looked truly sorry, and I wished I could soothe her in some way, but I knew it wasn't possible. Not only because I sucked at it, also because of the fact that Zoe was here. Micah looked like he was about to pass out and said:

"Was that the reason that you broke up?" Jill looked even more said and just said:

"Yes. I am so sorry, I never meant to hurt you."

"Shall I continue?" Lissa was smart enough to chance the topic, and everyone looked relieved.

**Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires.**

"And thank god for that" Zoe whispered. She didn't think of that everyone but Micah and Trey could hear her, but thankfully no one commented it.

**But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway.**

"You were punished for helping me?" Rose looked shocked and I just simply said:

"Yes of course, I broke the rules and our laws. But all they did was taking me away from field service." Rose looked like she was about to continue the discussion, but thankfully Lissa continued reading:

**What unfolds is far worse. The sister of Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector.**

"You didn't want to help me? Why? And how could it be worse than being punished?" Jill asked.

"I am sure the book will tell you, Jill" I said, already tired of this.

**The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one...**

"Oh." Jill seemed a little sad about it, but didn't say anything else. Lissa said:

"Who wants to read the first chapter?"

"Dimitri will, so that we follow the circle. The note told us we all should read just as much, right?" Rose said. She was right, so Dimitri took the book and said:

**Chapter one.**

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Hope you liked it, please leave a review to help me get better!

/kajjjann


	2. Reading chapter 1

Chapter One. Still just re-uploading.

Disclaimer: I don't own the world of Bloodlines or VA, that belongs to Richelle Mead.

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**Chapter one,** Dimitri read.

**I couldn't breathe. **

I realized when this was, and that it now was confirmed that it was from my point of view. I heard some of the others taking a quick, deep breath and I smiled a little. The comments came:

"What!? Is this from your point of view Sydney? What is happening?" Jill was so worried she started babbling as usual.

"Sage what is happening?" Finally Adrian made his first comment. I was actually surprised he had waited this long.

"Sydney, what happened to you? Is there someone I should kill?" Of course Rose was on the defensive, but I just smiled as Sonya Karp said:

"You do realize that if all of you had been quiet you would know by now right?" All the others fell quiet and Dimitri continued to read:

**There was a hand covering my mouth and another one shaking my shoulder, startling me out of a heavy sleep.**

Once again Dimitri only had the time to read one sentence before the others interrupted him.

"Sydney, who is it? Will they take you to that place you told Adrian about? The re-education centers?" Of course Jill knew it, she knew everything. I knew she couldn't help it, but it disturb me a little. What if I told Adrian something really private? Would she knew that too?

"Jill, I am sure that it will be in the book" Lissa said with a smile that looked slightly fake. She was good at pretending, at showing a perfect image, but I was a pro at reading fake people. There were far to many alchemist that had to train to be able to act professional around the moroi.

**A thousand frantic thoughts dashed trough my mind in the space of a single heartbeat. It was happening. My worst nightmare was coming true.**

I felt Zoe snug a little closer to me, like she wanted to comfort me. She of all knew a lot of our fathers crazy ideas, and how he could come up with the most weird, and the most crazy ideas of training. I hugged her and then said:

"Can we please try not to comment every single word? Cause if we do, we will never finish this book."

"And of course she is not cursing" Adrian said, with a small smile playing on his perfect lips.

**They're here! They've come for me! **

**My eyes blinked, staring wildly around the dark room until my father's face came into focus. I stilled my thrashing, thoroughly confused. He let and stepped back to regard me coldly.**

"That son of a..."

"Adrian! Don't finish that sentence, if you can't say anything nice you shouldn't talk at all!" I didn't like my father very much, but that didn't mean I didn't respect him or that I wanted people saying bad things about him.

**I sat up in the bed, my heart still pounding.**

**"Dad?"**

**"Sydney. You wouldn't wake up."**

**Naturally that was his only apology for scaring me half to death.**

"Not a word Adrian" I warned, and to my big surprise he listened. But my warning didn't stop Rose, of course:

"Sydney, your dad is a piece of shit!" I looked at her when Zoe spoke up again:

"Don't you dare say that about him you unnatural creature! Our father is a good and respected man and everything he does, he does for a reason! Of course you don't understand anything about duties and honor, but don't say such things!" She was working herself up, flaming red spots started to appear on her neck. Before I got the chance to say anything, Rose answered:

"I don't know anything about duties? My entire life is build on my duties! I do my duty every day, while you only are here because you are Sydney's little sister!"

"Guys, calm down! We don't need fights in here, the situation is bad enough as it is! Zoe, Rose has duties which she works with every day, she just don't know a lot of our duties. And Rose, really!? Picking a fight with a 15 year old? That's low even for you!" The others fell quiet, and Dimitri quickly started to read again:

**"You need to get dressed and make yourself presentable, " he continued. "Quickly and quietly. Meet me downstairs in the study." **

**I felt my eyes widen but didn't hesitate with a response. There was only one acceptable answer. "Yes sir. Of course."**

"Sydney if you call your father sir, then something is really messed up." Eddie spoke for the first time, but I ignored him and gestured for Dimitri to continue reading.

**"I'll go wake your sister." He turned for the door, and I leapt out of bed.**

**"Zoe?" I exclaimed. "What do you need her for?"**

"Hey, I am not useless you know" Zoe said with a tone of sadness in her voice. I hugged her closer and said:

"I know, I just didn't understand why he would wake both of us up in the middle of the night, since this was before you was an Alchemist you know." She smiled at me and I smiled back, relieved that she had bought my excuse.

**"Shh," he chastised. "Hurry up and get ready. And remember - be quiet. Don't wake your mother."**

**He shut the door without another word, leaving me staring. The panic that I had only just subsided began to surge within me again. What did he need Zoe for? A late-night wake-up meant Alchemist business, and she had nothing to do with that. Technically, neither did I anymore, not since I'd been put on indefinite suspension for bad behavior this summer. What if that's what this was about? What if I was finally being taken to a re-education center and Zoe was replacing me?**

"I wouldn't have liked that, and we all knew you didn't need to go to re-education. You aren't too close to the evil creatures, even if it looked like it after your stupid actions last summer" Zoe said. I think she meant to soothe me, but apparently she was just at bad at it as me.

**For a moment, the world swam around me, and I caught hold of my bed to steady myself. Re-education centers. They were the stuff of nightmares for young Alchemists like me, mysterious places where those who grew too close to vampires were dragged off to learn the errors of their ways.**

"God Sydney, it sounds like a torture chamber or something. What do they really do there?" As expected someone had to comment, and to my surprise it was Micah. He had been very quiet since we had told him about the vampires and our world, but now he looked he was feeling slightly better.

I just gestured for Dimitri to continue reading.

**What exactly went on there was a secret, one that I never wanted to find out. I was pretty sure "re-education" was a nice way of saying "brainwashing." I'd only ever seen one person who had come back, and honestly, he'd seemed like half a person after that.**

"Of course he did, they send them off to be exactly like him, they want people who follow orders and who is completely loyal to them" Abe said. Just like with Adrian, I was surprised he had been able to keep quiet for so long. But once again I choose that no answer was the best answer.

**There'd been an almost zombielike quality to him, and I didn't even want to think about what they might have done to make him that way.**

"It sounds kind of like he has been compelled" Lissa said. I knew that she didn't know what happened in the re-education centers, but her guess could help the others figuring out the truth, so I quickly said:

"Not to sound disrespectful, but the Alchemists really don't like vampire magic, so I don't think they would use it on anyone, even less one of their owns."

**My father's urging to hurry up echoed back through my mind, and I tried to shake off my fears. Remembering his other warning, I also made sure I moved silently. My mother was a light sleeper. Normally it wouldn't matter if she caught us going off on Alchemist errands, but lately, she hadn't been feeling so kindly towards her husband's (and daughter's) employers. **

"Why?" asked Jill. Before I got the chance to answer, Adrian said:

"Maybe she actually is smart enough to realize that they don't care about one another, all they really care for is their secret and nobody getting close to us evil creatures." I had to fight the smile that wanted to show against Adrian. He knew that he was right, I had told him what she though about the Alchemists after what they did to me.

"That is not true! Of course we care about our secret, but we also care enough for the human race, and especially the other Alchemists, to make sure they wont get to close to unnatural creatures who only want our blood! We are not stupid, we are all intelligent, and we know what's most important, and we know that something we have to be hard towards those of us who has went down the wrong path." She was still pissed and irritated from what Rose had told her, so she used the chance to call them unnatural. I knew she really believed in the Alchemists, but I also knew she had been angry with them for how they treated me, and for how they refused to tell the rest of us about what really happened in the re-education centers. But right now she was pissed, and still a little scared of the vampires in the room, so she would take any chance to fight against them. Luckily everyone kept quiet after seeing my glare, and Dimitri continued reading.

**Ever since angry Alchemists had deposited me on my parent's doorstep last month, this household had held all the warmth of a prison camp. Terrible arguments had gone down between my parents, and my sister Zoe and I often found ourselves tiptoeing around.**

"No offense towards your profession or anything, but your parents maybe need to hear this? I mean, if you say they care for you, that must mean they don't want you changing yourself out of fear for them," Eddie said. I knew he was right, but I couldn't tell him.

Adrian's POV

**Zoe.**

**Why does he need Zoe?**

Every word I heard just made me angrier. I knew Sydney had trouble with her father, and I knew that the Alchemists had been angry with her, but making her live in fear? Making her afraid of speaking to loud? Making her dream nightmares? That just wasn't right, but it gave me even more respect for her. I knew she was strong, but it wasn't until now I realized just how much.

**The question burned through me as I scurried to get ready. I knew what "presentable" meant. **

"Don't we all? Clothes that cover more than they show?" I asked with a smile. Then I added "But I bet you would look even better if they didn't hide as much." I gave her a flirty smile and she blushed. Luckily Zoe didn't look at her sister, she was to busy with giving me death-glares. Dimitri sensed the fight which was coming and quickly continued to read.

**Throwing on jeans and T-shirt was out of the question. **

"Hey, jeans and T-shirt is presentable, what else could you wear?" Rose said. I smiled at her. For her it was presentable, considering what she could wear, but for Sydney it wasn't.

**Instead, I tugged on gray slacks and a crisp, white button-down shirt. A darker, charcoal gray cardigan went over it, which I cinched neatly at my waist with a black belt. A small gold cross - the one I always wore around my neck - was the only ornamentation I ever bothered with.**

"You always wear that cross, but you haven't now for some time." It was a statement, but we all knew Eddie meant it as a question.

"I lost it, but I have this instead" Sydney said, showing him the wooden cross I had gotten her. I was very glad she liked it, and even if I felt bad for helping her loose the other one, I was secretly glad she wore something that connected her to me.

**My hair was a slightly bigger problem. Even after only two hours of sleep, it was already going in every direction. I smoothed it down as best I could and then coated it with a thick layer of hair spray in the hopes that it would get me through whatever was to come. A light dusting of powder was the only makeup I put on. I had no time for anything more.**

**The entire process took me all of six minutes, **

"SIX MINUTES! How could you be so quick? I need at least an hour and a half, and I'm very quick!" Jill bursted out. All of us smiled at her and Sydney said:

"I know you do Jill, I have lived with you. But I didn't shower or anything then, and I was under time pressure." Jill still looked shocked, and after a quick look at the other girls in the room I realized they all looked like she had told them she was from Mars or something. Rose said:

"You know Sydney, when I was really quick it took me about twenty minutes to get ready, and that was the school record!" All of us but Zoe, Sydney and Abe laughed. Abe just smiled, I guess laughing didn't match with his image, Zoe was obviously still not comfortable around us and she looked at Sydney, which made Sydney hold back her laugher and just give Rose a polite smile. It irritated me slightly, but I knew she needed time to figure out how to deal with her sister. Zoe on the other hand looked relieved.

**which might have been a new record for me. I sprinted down the stairs in perfect silence, careful, again, to avoid waking my mother. The living room was dark, but light spilled out past the not-quite-shut door of my father's study. Taking that as an invitation, I pushed the door open and slipped inside. A hushed conversation stopped at my entrance. My father eyed me from head to toe and showed his approval at my appearance in the way he knew best: by simply withholding criticism.**

"Maybe I should have a word with your father" Abe said with a creepy smile. This was probably exactly why he was called Zmey - the serpent - in Russia. Rose saw Sydney's terrified face and said:

"Even if I think someone should have a word with him, it wont be you dear father. I think Sydney actually like her father, even if she has no reason to do so, and I don't think he will be kinder to her if a mobster Moroi comes to him to ask him to be kinder towards his daughter." I secretly agreed with Rose, but I didn't tell her. She didn't need another boost in her already big confidence.

"I wasn't going to ask" Abe replied with another creepy smile.

**"Sydney," he said brusquely. "I believe you know Donna Stanton."**

"Isn't that the other Alchemist who visited us court? When you helped Rose?"

Lissa said, smiling. Sydney looked at her like she expected her to start laughing. When she realized Lissa was serious she started to get angry. I think they all realized something was wrong, but it was only her sister, me and Jill, through me, who realized just how angry she was. Suddenly she opened her mouth and said with her voice as cold as ice:

"None of us visited you at court, none of us would ever visit you at your court. Stanton and me was hold there against our will 'cause your people wanted to interrogate us." I, who was sure it would get really ugly if they continued decided that we were done with this subject. Lissa looked really hurt, Rose had her full attention at Lissa, and Dimitri looked at Rose. I caught his eye and gestured for him to continue reading.

**The formidable Alchemist stood near the window, arms crossed, looking as tough and lean as I remembered. I'd spent a lot of time with Stanton recently, though I would hardly say we were friends - especially since certain actions of mine had ended up putting the two of us under a sort of "vampire house arrest." **

"We didn't mean it like that. All they, we, wanted was to know what Rose had been up to, and how it was possible for her to keep away without anyone noticing. In case something like that happened again, we needed to know how to find the person." Lissa still sounded really hurt, so I said:

"We know that cousin, but you have to admit we could have made it in some other way. But lets forget about that now so we can continue to read about Sages thoughts." I gave her a small smile, and she gave me a nod. Of course she realized what I was doing, but luckily she only thought it was a good thing.

Sydney's POV

**If she harbored any resentment toward me, she didn't show it, though. She nodded to me in polite greeting, her face all business.**

'As usual' I thought. Even if I just had defended her, I didn't like her and I definitely didn't like that none of the Alchemists cared about anything but business.

**Three other Alchemists were there as well, all men. They were introduced to me as Barnes, Michaelson, and Horowitz. Barnes and Michaelson were my father and Stanton's age. Horowitz was younger, mid-twenties, and was setting up a tattooist's tools. **

"Why? You already have your tattoo right? And I know you said your sister didn't get one at that time" Adrian said. I knew he never would be able to just stay quiet, but I would have hoped for him to make his comments in a way that wasn't as obvious as this about us talking without the others. Luckily both Jill and he himself seemed to realize this and Jill saved me by saying:

"Yeah, you said something about that when we talked about families last month, right?" I smiled at her, silently thanking her and said:

"Yes, since none of you would let go of the subject." Eddie and Angeline who seemed like they had understood nodded, but Micah looked confused. He said:

"Aren't all of you siblings? Or at least related?" Crap! I had forgotten he still though we were the "Melroses". I said:

"No Micah, we aren't. It's only me and Zoe, and Jill and Lissa who are related, there is no other family connections. But don't tell anyone, because I guess we aren't done in Palm Springs yet."

"But what do you mean? Done in Palm Springs? And why do you pretend to be related?" He sounded so confused, I felt sorry for him. Lissa gave Rose a look, and after a small nod, she said:

"Jill is my sister, but we didn't know until recently. Short after we found out, much thanks to Rose, Dimitri and Sydney, I was crowned queen of the moroi world. But since Jill is my only living relative, and the laws require a relative for me in order to be queen, Jill became a target for the people who didn't want me for queen. After an attack we decided it wasn't safe for Jill to stay at our court, so she and the others that you know went into hiding. The sibling story was a good cover so that it wouldn't seem suspicious that they spent so much time with each other." Lissa finished, and Micah gave her a small nod. Dimitri continued reading:

**All of them were dressed like me, wearing business casual clothing in nondescript colors. Our goal was always to look nice but not attract notice. The Alchemists had been playing Men in Black for centuries, long before humans dreamed of life on other worlds. When the light hit their faces the right way, each Alchemist displayed a lily tattoo identical to mine.**

"You know, I could draw some new lilies or some other flowers so that you have something that didn't look so boring. I mean, your tattoo is beautiful, but it would be even better if it was only you or maybe at least just you and a few more who had it. Not like a couple of thousands," Adrian said smiling. I just shook my head at him, and Zoe said:

"They show we belong with each other, that we are connected by our duty and our call." She sounded like some old, leading Alchemist, like Stanton, and I didn't like it. But since I knew she believed in her own words I just smiled at her, before Dimitri continued with the reading.

**Again, my unease grew. Was this some kind of interrogation? An assessment to see if my decision to help a renegade half-vampire girl meant my loyalties had changed? I crossed my arms over my chest and schooled my face to neutrality, hoping I looked cool and confident. If I still had a chance to plead my case, I intended to present a solid one.**

"No surprise there. You always present solid cases, even if some don't have the brain to listen to you" Adrian said, while looking at Trey. I knew he thought about when I had went to the warriors of light to plead for Sonya Karps release. They hadn't listened, and the meeting had ended up in several peoples deaths. Sonya said:

"Sydney could have convinced them if the guardians hadn't bursted out." Rose opened her mouth, without a doubt to disagree, but a glance from Dimitri made her quiet. He said:

"Can you please let me read more than one paragraph before you interrupt? It's starting to get slightly annoying." As usual you could hear his russian accent, but it was very light. Rose said:

"Can't make that promise, Comrade, but at least we can try." He smiled at her before continuing to read.

**Before anyone cold utter another word, Zoe entered. She shut the door behind her and peered around in terror, her eyes wide. Our father's study was huge - he'd built an addition on to our house for it - and it easily held all the occupants. Bus as I watched my sister take in the scene, I knew she felt stifled and trapped. I met her eyes and tried to send a silent message of sympathy. It must have worked because she scurried to my side, looking only fractionally less afraid.**

"It did work, I was so glad to have you there then. I know I was mean later that night, but now I realize I wouldn't have been able to fix all of this by myself, so I am glad that you did what you did" said person whispered in my ear.

**"Zoe," said my father. He let her name hang in the air in this way he had, making it clear to both of us that he was disappointed. I could immediately guess why. She wore jeans and an old sweatshirt and had her brown hair in two cute but sloppy braids. By any other person's standards, she would have been "presentable" - but not by his. I felt her cower against me, and I tried to make myself taller and more protective. After making sure his condemnation was felt,**

"Come on Sage, you have to admit how wrong that is! I know you love your little sister, so don't pretend you think he was right. She was presentable, and even if she wasn't he shouldn't have done what he did" Adrian said. I saw Rose' wondering look at him, wondering why he cared so much and when he became so grown-up. I was proud of him, even if I didn't want him to use his new mature side to say actually true things to me. I just shrugged it of, and Dimitri saved me from an answer by reading:

**our father introduced Zoe to the others. Stanton gave her the same polite nod she'd given me and then turned toward my father.**

**"I don't understand, Jared," said Stanton. "Which one of them are you going to use?"**

"That sound so wrong" Rose said with a huge smile. Her mother gave her a disapproving look, but as usual Rose didn't care. She kept her dirty smile, but when Dimitri whispered something in her ear, she changed the smile to a laughter before kissing him.

**"Well that's the problem," my father said. "Zoe was requested... but I'm not sure she's ready. In fact, I know she isn't. She's only had the most basic of training. But in light of Sydney's recent... experiences..."**

Rose opened her mouth, but Adrian was quicker:

"Even he thought what you did was wrong? Even after you proved that it was the right thing to do?" I just nodded at him, and Dimitri said:

"Okay that's it! I dare all of you to be quiet for at least five minutes!" This time his words had a bigger effect thanks to all the competitive people in the room. He continued reading:

**My mind immediately began to pull the pieces together. First, and most importantly, it seemed I wasn't going to be sent to a re-education center. Not yet, at least. This was about something else. My earlier suspicion was correct. There was some mission or task afoot, and someone wanted to sub in Zoe because she, unlike certain other members of her family, had no history of betraying the Alchemists. My father was right that she'd only received basic instruction. Our jobs were hereditary, and I had been chosen years ago as the next Alchemist in the Sage family. My older sister, Carly, had been passed over and was now away at college and too old. He'd taught Zoe as a backup instead, in the event something happened to me, like a car accident or vampire mauling.**

I saw all the angry looks, and Adrian was about to speak until he saw both mine and Dimitri's glares. I felt Zoe snuggle closer to me, but just like the others she remained quiet. Just as Dimitri was going to continue reading I realized that soon I was going to think something bad about the alchemists and probably something about how the vampires weren't as bad as we always had been told. I realized I was going to have to talk to Zoe after this chapter, tell her about my feelings for the moroi and the dhampirs, because she would find out sooner or later, and I rather she heard it from me myself, instead of book-me.

**I stepped forward, not knowing what I was going to say until i spoke. The only thing I knew for sure was that I could not let Zoe get sucked into the Alchemist's schemes. I feared for her safety more than I did going to a re-education center - and I was pretty afraid of that.**

"What did you mean by that Sydney? The alchemists work for a nobel cause, and you should have been honored by having two of us in the family." The look my sister gave me showed me very clear that she was working herself up again. I also realized I had to spoke to her now, not after this chapter. There was no way we could get through this without her knowing.

"Zoe can I speak to you for a moment? Alone, maybe in one of the bedrooms?" Even I heard how nervous I sounded, but at least none of the others made a comment. Adrian gave me a look that told me he knew what I was going to say, but I ignored him. I stood up, and luckily she followed me to the room where I had woken up. I closed the door carefully behind us once we were in, and turned around to face my sister. I said:

"Zoe I know that both you and I have been told things our entire lives, things about how bad and unnatural all the vampires and dhampirs are. But as you know I have also spend a lot of time with them, not only here, but in Siberia and while Rose was on the run as well, and I have actually gotten to know them. Not all of them are as bad as we have been told, not all of them are evil. We can actually trust them, rely on them. We can accept them and become their friends. Not all of them of course, but at least the ones who are with us right now." I was going to continue, but suddenly she was standing very close to me, and when she spoke she did it with a very high and angry voice:

"You are betraying the alchemists! You are as bad as the thought, the had led you down their dark path! Sydney you have to see through them, you have to fight! Don't let them get to you! I have to report this, they have to take you to re-education, it's for your own good!"

"No! Zoe you have to listen to me, the alchemists aren't what they look like, they are lying to us! I have gotten proof of Stanton lying to me, more than just once! You have to believe me when I tell you that we shouldn't be with the alchemists, they aren't good for us!" This conversation was so not going in the direction I had wanted it to, Frankly, it was the other way around, and I felt my rational part give way for the angry and concerned part of me, a part that wasn't thinking about what it was saying. Suddenly Zoe lifted her hand and slapped me hard. She said, with a voice low and cold and as ice:

"Don't you dare speak bad about the alchemists in front of me. I know my duties, and now where my loyalty is, something the dark creatures have gotten you to forget about. You need help my dear sister, and I will make sure you get it. As soon as we get out of here you will get the help you so desperate need, but until then I guess we will just have to suffer through. She got around me and opened the door, going back to the others. I called after her:

"Zoe please! Be rational, see beyond the lies they have told us!" She didn't even turn around. I felt tears of anger and of disappointment run down my face, and I felt weak.

I sat down on the bed, after closing the door. I wasn't ready to face the others, not yet. I didn't want to see the glares my own sister was giving me. I suddenly heard footsteps outside, and the door slowly opened. I lifted my head, in hope of seeing Zoe, but to my surprise it was Adrian. When he saw me crying he hurried up to me, took me in his arms. I knew it was wrong, this was a huge part of the reason for my sister to hate me, if she knew about this she wouldn't do anything until she had made sure that I was looked away in re-education. But it was also wrong for him, none of the others (except from Jill of course) knew about this, and relationships between humans and vampires aren't accepted in the vampire community either. But I couldn't listen to all the logical reasons, I wasn't thinking clear. It hurted me so much that my own sister had turned her back on me, and I needed the safe point that was Adrian in my life. He didn't say a word while I was sobbing in his shirt, but when he noticed I was getting more calmed down he said:

"It's going to be okay Sydney, she will come around. Look at how you behaved the first time you met Rose, and how different you are now. Just give her some time to realize the truth." I laughed a little, weak, low and shaky, and he said:

"What's so funny?"

"You being the face of reason. I hate it when you are logical because that only shows me how messed up I am. I mean I know you are so much more than just the party boy that you show the world, but still, being the face of logic and reason?" He laughed with me after trying, and failing, to pout and look like he was offended.

He used his hand to remove the tears from my cheeks and said:

"She really hit you hard huh?"

"Does it show? How do you know she hit me?" I panicked a little, what if the others had heard all of it? I hadn't though about their creepy hearing when I spoke to Zoe.

"We all heard her words and the hit, but yes it shows very clearly. You have a full, red, hand on you entire left cheek, but you still look like a goddess." I felt myself blush at his compliment, and didn't know what to say. This really wasn't like me - but on the other hand I had never had to deal with my sister wanting to send me to re-education before.

"We should go back to the others, before the start getting too suspicious, alright?" He said, with a smile, and a deep hug. I felt myself calm down by his touch (And yes, I didn't care that it was wrong, cause right there - it wasn't.)

We got up and went back to the others, and I felt sad by seeing my sister between Micah and And trey on their couch, instead on the one we had shared. Still I sat down on the same I had been before, and to my surprise Adrian sat down beside me. I knew it was wrong, the others would soon understand, but on the other hand they would anyway. We were forced to read the books, and I was sure our romance would be in them. Still I cuddled up in the end of the couch, as far from Arian as possible. Dimitri continued reading, and I was thankful that no one had said something about what had just happened.

**"I spoke to a committee about my actions after they happened," I said. "I was under the impression that they understood why I did the things I did. I'm fully qualified to serve in whatever way you need - much more so than my sister. I have real-world experience. I know this job inside and out."**

**"A little too much real-world experience, if memory serves," said Stanton dryly.**

"Hey! That is so not fair!" said no other than Rose. Zoe said, with her cold voice:

"No it wasn't. She should have send her to re-education, instead of just making comments about it." I felt like I had been hit in the face again, just this time it was with a fist. Adrian gave me a soothing look, and all the others stayed silent.

**"I for one would love to hear this 'reasons' again," said Barnes, using his fingers to make air quotes.**

**"I'm not thrilled about tossing a half-trained girl out there, but I also find it hard to believe someone who aided a vampire criminal is 'fully qualified to serve.'' More pretentious air quotes.**

"I was innocent, they have to know that right?" I decided to answer before Zoe got the chance:

"Yes they do, but it doesn't matter to them." Rose was about to say something again, but Dimitri laid his hand on her, which made her quiet.

**I smiled back pleasantly, masking my anger. If I showed my true emotions, it wouldn't help my case. 'I understand, sir. But Rose Hathaway was eventually proven innocent of the crime she'd been accused of. So, I wasn't technically aiding a criminal. My actions eventually helped find the real murderer.'**

"So suck on that!" Rose was obviously pissed of, and I couldn't blame her.

**'Be that as it may, we - and you - didn't know she was 'innocent' at the time,' he said.**

**'I know,' I said. 'But I believed she was.'**

"Thank you Sydney, it means a lot that you have faith in me" she said.

"It's nothing Rose, I really didn't think you would be so stupid that you left so much evidence if you were going to murder someone." It was true, I knew Rose was definitely capable of murder, but I also knew she was smart - smart enough not to get caught.

"Hey! Why does everyone think that I am capable of murder someone? I only kill strigoi!"

"Yes, but lets face it - you are capable of murder my dear daughter." Abe gave her a smug smile, and she pouted.

**Barnes snorted. 'And there's the problem. You should've believed what the Alchemists told you, not run off with your own far-fetched theories. At the very least, you should've taken what evidence you'd gathered to your superiors.'**

**Evidence? How could I explain that it wasn't evidence that had driven me to help Rose so much as a feeling in my gut that she was telling the truth?**

"Once again, thank you so much for helping her" the queen said. I knew she really cared for Rose, the same way Rose cared for her, and it was probably the reason for them to be so thankful for help.

"It was nothing" I said, though that was a lie.

** But that was something I knew they'd never understand. All of us were trained to believe the worst of her kind. Telling them that I had seen truth and honesty in her wouldn't help my cause here. Telling them that I'd been blackmailed into helping her by another vampire was an even worse explanation. **

"Will we ever get to know what it is that my old man has on you Sydney?" Rose asked, curiosity written all over her face.

"Hopefully not, but probably yes" I said. Abe smiled at that, looking as intimidating as only he and Rose could while smiling.

**There was only one argument that the Alchemists might possibly be able to comprehend.**

**'I . . . I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to get all the credit for it. I was hoping that if I uncovered it, I could get a promotion and a better assignment.'**

"Did they really believe that? They most be so stupid!" Adrian couldn't keep his mouth quiet any more, and I just rolled my eyes at him and said:

"Would I be here if they didn't?"

"Well looking at it like that, I guess you wouldn't Sage, and that would be a true sorrow. We would really miss you." I felt the cold stare from Zoe, but I ignored her and turned to Jill as she said:

"We really would miss you if you weren't here Sydney, you are an amazing friend. You are even more than that - you are the perfect sister." I heard Zoe snort at that, in her way of saying 'Yeah right!' and I also saw Lissa flinch. I realized it probably hurt her considering she was Jill's real sister, but I voice in my head said that she really should, considering I was the one who had been there for Jill, not Lissa.

"Thank you Jill, I would miss you too!" I didn't mention Adrian, but I gave him a look and I smile, once the other had started to read again, to tell him quietly that I would miss him the most.

**It took every ounce of self-control I had to say that lie straight-faced. I felt humiliated at making such an admission. As though ambition would really drive me to such extreme behaviors! It made me feel slimy and shallow. But, as I'd suspected, this was something the other Alchemists could understand.**

**Michaelson snorted. 'Misguided, but not entirely unexpected for her age.'**

**The other men shared equally condescending looks, even my father. Only Stanton looked doubtful, but then, she'd witnessed more of the fiasco than they had.**

**My father glanced among the others, waiting for further comment. When none came, he shrugged. 'If no one has any objections, then, I'd rather we use Sydney. Not that I even entirely understand what you need her for.' There was a slightly accusing tone in his voice over not having been filled in yet. Jared Sage didn't like to be left out of the loop.**

"No one do, which is why I love my way of working. I am never out of the loop" Abe said, once more with that smug smile in his face. Guardian Hathaway said:

"Abe no one wants to hear about your businesses, and you really should consider changing your way of making them." The love in her voice was clear, even if we all probably could hear how dissatisfied she was with the way he worked.

**'I have no problem with using the older girl,' **

"Did he even realize how wrong that sounded?" Adrian said, amusement clear in his voice. Rose, Eddie and the queens boyfriend (Was is Christopher or Christian? I wasn't sure since the only time I had spoken with him had been at an official event where I called him lord Ozera) all laughed. I shook my head and said:

"It wasn't meant like that, and he knew none of the people in the room would be childish enough to take it that way."

"Are you calling me childish Sage?" Adrian asked with glee in his eyes.

"Yes, I am" I said, hiding the big smile that threatened to show on my face. Dimitri was obviously tired of reading, and wanted to get it over with, so he started before Adrian got the chance to answer me.

**said Barnes. 'But keep the younger one around until the others get here, in case they have any objections.' I wondered how many 'others' would be joining us. My father's study was no stadium. Also, the more people who came, the more important this case probably was. My skin grew cold as I wondered what the assignment could possibly be. I'd seen the Alchemists cover up major disasters with only one or two people. How colossal would something have to be to require this much help?**

Jill flushed when she realized she was the trouble, but Lissa gave her a smile and said:

"No trouble is too much when it comes to your safety." There was nothing wrong with her words, it was just that I couldn't help but wonder if she said it because she actually cared for Jill, or if it was just about her throne.

**Horowitz spoke up for the first time. 'What do you want me to do?'**

**'Re-ink Sydney,' said Stanton decisively. 'Even if she doesn't go, it won't hurt to have the spells reinforced. No point in inking Zoe until we know what we're doing with her.'**

**My eyes flicked to my sister's noticeably bare - and pale - cheeks. Yes. As long as there was no lily there, she was free. Once the tattoo was emblazoned on your skin, there was no going back. You belonged to the Alchemists.**

"Which is something to be proud of" said Zoe with her cold-as-ice voice. I trembled slightly, I hated when we fought.

**The reality of that had only hit me in the last year or so. I'd certainly never realized it while growing up. My father had dazzled me from a very young age about the rightness of our duty. I still believed in that rightness but wished he'd also mentioned just how much of my life it would consume.**

**Horowitz had set up a folding table on the far side of my father's study. He patted it and gave me a friendly smile.**

**'Step right up,' he told me. 'Get your ticket.'**

Most people in the room started to laugh at his joke, and I even saw both Abe and Guardian Hathaway smile at it.

**Barnes shot him a disapproving look. 'Please. You could show a little respect for this ritual, David.'**

**Horowitz merely shrugged. He helped me lie down, and though I was too afraid of the others to openly smile back, I hoped my gratitude showed in my eyes. Another smile from him told me he understood. Turning my head, I watched as Barnes reverently set a black briefcase on a side table. The other Alchemists gathered around and clasped their hands together in front of them. He must be the hierophant, I realized. Most of what the Alchemists did was rooted in science, but a few tasks required divine assistance. After all, our core mission to protect humanity was rooted in the belief that vampires were unnatural and went against God's plan. That's why hierophants - our priests - worked side by side with our scientists.**

"Do you really call your priests hierophants? It sounds like elephant!" said no other that Angeline of course. She had been very quiet until now, but I knew she didn't believe in any kind of god, which probably was what caused her to speak.

**'Oh Lord,' he intoned, closing his eyes. 'Bless these elixirs. Remove the taint of the evil they carry so that their life-giving power shines through purely to us, your servants.'**

**He opened the briefcase and removed four small vials, each filled with dark red liquid. Labels that I couldn't read marked each one. With a steady hand and practiced eye, Barnes poured precise amounts from each vial into a larger bottle. When he'd used all four, he produced a tiny packet of powder that he emptied into the rest of the mix. I felt a tingle in the air, and the bottle's contents turned to gold. He handed the bottle to Horowitz, who stood ready with a needle. Everyone relaxed, the ceremonial part complete.**

**I obediently turned away, exposing my cheek. A moment later, Horowitz's shadow fell over me. 'This will sting a little, but nothing like when you originally got it. It's just a touch-up,' he explained kindly.**

"Why did he say that? Doesn't your tattoo feel like getting a normal one?" Said Jill with concern in her voice. She looked so innocent when she asked, and I smiled at her and said, truthfully:

"No Jill it doesn't. Our tattoos ink is made out of gold and moroi blood, and it's hurts a lot more than any normal tattoo. Even the re-inking hurts more than a normal tattoo does."

"Oh, I am sorry you had to go through that then" she said and offered me her warm and kind smile. I smiled back and just as Dimitri was going to start reading again, Rose said:

"How do you know it hurts more? Have you ever done a normal tattoo?" Shit, I had hoped that no one would question me about it, but leave it to Rose to touch all subjects no one wanted to speak about. I sighted, I knew she would see right through my lie of I tried to lie to her:

"Yes Rose, I have a normal tattoo as well, and no, I wont show it to you." She pouted and was about to protest as Dimitri leaned down to her and whispered something in her ear. She still looked annoyed, but she let it go

**'I know,' I said. I'd been re-inked before. 'Thanks.'**

**The needle pricked my skin, and I tried not to wince. It did sting, but like he'd said, Horowitz wasn't creating a new tattoo. He was simply injecting small amounts of the ink into my existing tattoo, recharging its power. I took this as a good sign. Zoe might not be out of danger yet, but surely they wouldn't go to the trouble of re-inking me if they were just going to send me to a re-education center.**

"That's good" Rose said. "But you if you were sent there we would come and break you out. Considering the little we have heard of it, it doesn't sound like the place to be you know" she said, all her disappointment over me not showing my tattoo, gone. I smiled at her but kept quiet and turned to Dimitri.

**'Can you brief us on what's happening while we're waiting?' asked my father. 'All I was told was that you needed a teen girl.' The way he said 'teen girl' made it sound like a disposable role. I fought back a wave of anger at my father. That's all we were to him.**

"See? Your father is a piece of shit, and even you know it!" Adrian said and I glared at him. He visibly paled when he saw my glare and satisfied I turned bak to Dimitri. Don't get me wrong, I normally don't like scaring people, but I was tired of hearing Adrian saying bad things about my family.

**'We have a situation,' I heard Stanton say. Finally, I'd get some answers. 'With the Moroi.'**

"The way she is saying that makes us sounds like some sort of unwanted animal, like spiders or rats" Rose exclaim with high voice. Micah and Trey both fell into laughter by this statement, probably since they were finally getting a little more comfortable around all the vampires and well, even I had to admit it - it was kind of funny.

"That IS the way they are thinking of you Rose. Maybe like rats with rabies?" The entire room fell into laughter except for Rose and her parents. Her parents were smiling and she trying to look grumpy, but failing miserably. Suddenly Adrian leaned forward towards me and said:

"Well maybe you should watch out then, you never know when we will loose control and bite. Even the rats with rabies knows to take the cute ones first." His voice was fake creepy and I knew he would never bite me, but I could read the underlying message that said he wouldn't mind it, or at least smell it while kissing my neck. Apparently I wasn't the only one who at least got parts of the message, cause Christian (I was still not sure that was his name, all I hoped for was hat someone would say it out loud) said:

"Adrian you can't throw your over every girl you see, you know that Sydney is an Alchemist right?"

"I haven't thrown myself at her, I was just telling her the truth. Every beautiful girl should know that they are beautiful." The others just shook their heads, and I am certain that Rose even said:

"Just ignore him Sydney." but i felt myself blush. I just hoped no one would think of it since Dimitri continued reading.

**I breathed a small sigh of relief. Better them than the Strigoi. Any 'situation' the Alchemists faced always involved one of the vampire races, and I'd take the living, non-killing ones any day. **

"Awe, thank you Sydney!" Exclaimed Rose with a faked innocent voice. Even i knew she and innocent was not two words that should be said together.

**They almost seemed human at times (though I'd never tell anyone here that) and lived and died like we did. Strigoi, however, were twisted freaks of nature. They were undead, murderous vampires created either when a Strigoi forcibly made a victim drink its blood or when a Moroi purposely took the life of another through blood drinking. A situation with the Strigoi usually ended with someone dead.**

"Mostly them thankfully" Guardian Hathaway said. All people in the room nodded their heads, or at least all but Micah and Zoe. I knew Micah didn't fully understand just how bad they were yet, so he had a good excuse. Zoe on the other hand just did it because the alchemists had told her that the moroi and dhampirs were monsters and should die as well if possible.

**All sorts of possible scenarios played through my mind as I considered what issue had prompted action from the Alchemists tonight: a human who had noticed someone with fangs, a feeder who had escaped and gone public, a Moroi treated by human doctors. . . . Those were the kinds of problems we Alchemists faced the most, ones I had been trained to handle and cover up with ease. Why they would need 'a teenage girl' for any of those, however, was a mystery.**

"Maybe they just wanted to see you in one of those sexy nurse suits that they sell around halloween" Adrian said with a huge smile. I swear that boys fantasy was just to alive!

**'You know that they elected their girl queen last month,' **

"So that is what people call me behind my back" said Lissa, with a fake smile, and real tears in her eyes. It was obvious that she was disturbed by the fact, but didn't want to show it. Rose stood up and hugged her friend, and when she sat down again it was like nothing had happened.

**said Barnes. I could practically see him rolling his eyes.**

**Everyone in the room murmured affirmatively. Of course they knew about that. The Alchemists paid careful attention to the political goings-on of the Moroi. Knowing what vampires were doing was crucial to keeping them secret from the rest of humanity - and keeping the rest of humanity safe from them. That was our purpose, to protect our brethren. Know thy enemy was taken very seriously with us. The girl the Moroi had elected queen, Vasilisa Dragomir, was eighteen, just like me.**

**'Don't tense,' said Horowitz gently.**

"Oh shit I had already forgot that they were tattooing you" Rose exclaimed.

"Rose, watch your language" Lissa scolded her, but with a badly hidden smile on her lips.

**I hadn't realized I had been. I tried to relax, but thinking of Vasilisa Dragomir made me think of Rose Hathaway. Uneasily, I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to assume I was out of trouble here. Mercifully, Barnes simply kept going with the story, not mentioning my indirect connection to the girl queen and her associates.**

"Hey! Am I only an associate now?" Rose said with a very loud voice. She was looking angry, but in my work for the alchemists I had learnt to read people (well not the social codes that apparently was going on in normal schools, but a part from that I was very good at reading people) so I could see that she was just acting.

"Of course you aren't Rose, you are my best friend and the head of my private guardians" Lissa said, gentle as ever. Christian (for real? Couldn't someone just use his name!?) said:

"No Rose, you are just one of her associates, nothing less, nothing more." He was wearing the same smirk he had had earlier when he said something that was supposed to be a joke - at first I had though he was just using it to hide that he wasn't comfortable in the situation, but by this time I had gotten used to it, and realized it just was the way he looked and was. Before Rose got a chance of answering him, Dimitri continued to read.

**'Well, as shocking as that is to us, it's been just as shocking to some of their own people. There's been a lot of protests and dissidence. No one's tried to attack the Dragomir girl, but that's probably because she's so well guarded. Her enemies, it seems, have therefore found a work-around: her sister.'**

I was observing Jill and saw her frown a little a the statement, and as I watched Lissa I saw that she as well was looking at Jill. She on the other hand didn't seem to dislike the way they were called sisters, but I also knew she wanted nothing more to do with, not now that she had gotten the help needed for her crowning. I also knew that even when the law was changed and Jill could come back to the court, Lissa wouldn't want her there. For Lissa Jill was a shame, and a person she had not wanted to get as a sister - to her it was Jills fault she was alive, and even if that had given Lissa the thrown, it had also forced her to change her picture of her father, a picture that before had looked like the picture of an angel if not god himself.

**'Jill,' I said, speaking before I could stop myself. Horowitz tsked me for moving, and I immediately regretted drawing attention to myself and my knowledge of the Moroi. Nevertheless, an image of Jillian Mastrano flashed into my mind, tall and annoyingly slim**

"Really? Is that how people see me? Tall and slim?" Jill sounded a little offended, like she though that was ALL we saw when we saw her. I quickly said:

"No of course not Jill! We see you as the amazingly kind, caring, rambling, but still cute, person you are! It's just when I though this I still didn't know you. Now I know better, you are an amazing friend, and an amazing sister!" What I said was true, but it still made her smile. Both Lissa and Zoe on the other hand looked like I had fed them dirt, but considering none of them had acted like sisters were supposed to lately, I did nothing to take my harsh words against them back.

"Annoyingly slim?" Adrian asked me with low voice when Dimitri continued to read. I just shrugged at him, happy that he couldn't continue this conversation right now. I knew he had told me loads of times that I looked perfect and that I would look even better if I gained a few pounds, but I just couldn't get my fathers voice as he told me I was overweighted out of my head. I knew I was never going to be a slim as Jill, but that didn't prevent me from trying.

** like all Moroi, with big, pale green eyes that always seemed nervous. **

"She looks perfect" Micah said with a low voice, as he was watching her. Rose was, as usual, not the one to no take up something embarrassing and said to him:

"You do realize that we all can hear you right? And that you said that in company of her sister, who is the queen of our world, and her guardian?" She gave him a stern look, but this time we all, not just me, could see that she was only joking. Micah blushed either way, and looked very relived as Dimitri continued to read.

**And she had good reason to be. At fifteen, Jill had discovered she was Vasilisa's illegitimate sister, making her the only other member of their royal family's line. She too was tied to the mess I'd gotten myself into this summer.**

**'You know their laws,' continued Stanton, after a moment of awkward silence. Her tone conveyed what we all thought of Moroi laws. An elected monarch? It made no sense, but what else could one expect from unnatural beings like vampires? **

"Hey! That is straight out an offense! We are not unnatural, and what is wrong with democracy?" Adrian exclaimed. I knew the subject was still a little sore for him considering it was his aunt, well great aunt, that was queen before Lissa.

**'And Vasilisa must have one family member in order to hold her throne. Therefore, her enemies have decided if they can't directly remove her, they'll remove her family.'**

Jill looked sad at that, and I felt my heart bleed for her. I think we both though about how Lissa would have treated her if it wasn't for that law. Probably she wouldn't even knew she existed, or at least she wouldn't knew Jill was her sister and even less she would be making sure she was protected.

**A chill ran down my spine at the unspoken meaning, and I again commented without thinking. 'Did something happen to Jill?' **

"Well I died, but nothing of importance" she said with a smile. The others begun laughing, but I could see the pain behind the words. I gave her a small smile, but it was filled with warmth and love, and I saw how Jill relaxed and gave me a smile back.

**This time, I'd at least chosen a moment when Horowitz was refilling his needle, so there was no danger of messing up the tattoo.**

"Why not mess up the tattoo, your messing up everything else that is important" Zoe said with her cold voice. I felt the urge to cry, but fortunately I got a hold of myself and instead I said:

"Zoe! That is not a way of speaking to anyone, least of all your family!" She gave me a look filled with something that liked pure hate.

"You are not my family, not until you pull yourself away from the monsters and realize that you need help! That you have been making a huge mistake!" Th other people in the room looked very awkward, but I didn't care. I felt myself boiling inside, and for the first time I just let go and said straight out what I felt:

"Zoe! I don't care if you are being childish enough to believe everything unknown people tell you just because they have made themselves a name among a group of people you don't even know half the things about! But you do not speak like that to me, and if you can't be respectful to me as your sister, than think about how much higher up than you I am! Right now, as long as we are on this mission, I am your boss, and you are to RESPECT me!" I was screaming in the end, and I felt Adrian come closer, and laying a hand at my shoulder, in order to calm me down. I was about to just shrug it of, but he closed his grip, making it tighter till the point where it almost hurt me. But he got the message through: It's enough, calm down.

The others looked at us and angry as I still was i hissed:

"What are you staring at!? don't we have a book to read?" They all turned their heads away, all but Rose. She gave Adrian's hand a long look, and then she turned back to Dimitri.

**I bit my lip to prevent myself from saying anything else, imagining the chastisement in my father's eyes. Showing concern for a Moroi was the last thing I wanted to do, considering my uncertain status. I didn't have any strong attachment to Jill, **

Once again she looked a little said, and even though I was still angry, I could never be angry with her for a long period of time. I said:

"Jill that was before I knew you, it has changed. You are like my sister now, and I love you." She once again lit up and said:

"I love you too Sydney!"

**but the thought of someone trying to kill a fifteen-year-old girl - the same age as Zoe - was appalling, no matter what race she belonged to.**

No one dared to comment, not even Rose, but once again I felt Adrian looking at me with that look that told me he knew how I felt. I hated it, because it made me feel vulnerable to have someone knowing me that deep.

**'That's what's unclear,' Stanton mused. 'She was attacked, we know that much, but we can't tell if she received any real injury. Regardless, she's fine now, but the attempt happened at their own Court, indicating they have traitors at high levels.'**

**Barnes snorted in disgust. 'What can you expect? How their ridiculous race has managed to survive as long as they have without turning on each other is beyond me.'**

All but them humans in the room looked angry, and I could feel Adrian working himself up again. I turned my gaze towards him and saw that he sat closer than before my little outbreak, so I put my hand on his, which rested on the couch near my leg. He looked up at me, all anger gone, and smiled. As Dimitri continued reading I was about to remove my hand, but instead Adrian took it in his and whispered:

"Don't, I like having you near me."

**There were mutters of agreement.**

**'Ridiculous or not, though, we cannot have them in civil war,' said Stanton. 'Some Moroi have acted out in protest, enough that they've caught the attention of human media. We can't allow that. We need their government stable, and that means ensuring this girl's safety. **

"Wow, they really make me feel special" Jill joked, and most people in the room laughed.

**Maybe they can't trust themselves, but they can trust us.'**

**There was no use in my pointing out that the Moroi didn't really trust the Alchemists. But, since we had no interest in killing off the Moroi monarch or her family, I supposed that made us more trustworthy than some.**

"It does, and combined with the fact that you would loose very much on a war between the vampires and that the your organization wants to keep me satisfied it was an easy decision" Abe said. I felt the chill that went down my spine, but successfully hid it from the others. Abe was not the kind of person anyone wanted to have as an enemy, and making deals with him was not very wise. Believe me, I am speaking from personal experience.

"We get it old man, everyone is scared of Zmey" Rose said, and I knew that if anyone but Rose had said that, that person would either be dead or at least severely injured by know.

**'We need to make the girl disappear,' said Michaelson. 'At least until the Moroi can undo the law that makes Vasilisa's throne so precarious. Hiding Mastrano with her own people isn't safe at the moment, so we need to conceal her among humans.' Disdain dripped from his words. 'But it's imperative she also remains concealed from humans. Our race cannot know theirs exists.'**

"Well so no trouble at all then?" Rose joked which led to another round of laugher.

**'After consultation with the guardians, we've chosen a location we all believe will be safe for her - both from Moroi and Strigoi,' said Stanton. 'However, to make sure she - and those with her - remain undetected, we're going to need Alchemists on hand, dedicated solely to her needs in case any complications come up.'**

"And you have done that perfectly Sydney" Jill said with a sunny smile.

**My father scoffed. 'That's a waste of our resources. Not to mention unbearable for whoever has to stay with her.'**

"Hey! Jailbait is an amazing person, and he didn't even know her! He had no right to say that!" Adrian said.

"Adrian we have talked about this. Don't say things like that about him, and using your own words: You don't know him, so you have no right judging him!" I felt again as I was about to cry, I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I guessed it was all the stress about the situation with Zoe here, and hiding my feelings for Adrian to everyone in the room (except from Jill of course). I had read all about it, and also seen it happen so it was a very natural theory.

Obviously he sensed what I felt, and stroked my hand in a comforting gesture and to my surprised I felt more calm. I smiled at him, forgetting all the people around us until Dimitri continued to read. I snapped back to reality and saw once again that Rose was watching us.

**I had a bad feeling about what was coming.**

**"This is where Sydney comes in," said Stanton. "We'd like her to be one of the Alchemists that accompanies Jillian into hiding."**

"I hate it when people uses my full name" Jill muttered under her breath.

**"What?" exclaimed my father. "You can't be serious."**

**"Why not?" Stanton's tone was calm and level. "They're close in age, so being together won't raise suspicion. And Sydney already knows the girl. Surely spending time with her won't be as 'unbearable' as it might be for other Alchemists."**

"Wow, how discreet" Adrian said to book-Stanton.

"Adrian you know that you are talking to a book right?" Christian said.

"Yes Ozera, I am aware of that, but the point remains." How annoying that when someone finally said his name it had to be Adrian who only used his surname which I already knew.

**The subtext was loud and clear. I wasn't free of my past, not yet. Horowitz paused and lifted the needle, allowing me the chance to speak. My mind raced. Some response was expected. I didn't want to sound too upset by the plan. I needed to restore my good name among the Alchemists and show my willingness to follow orders. That being said, I also didn't want to sound as though I were too comfortable with vampires or their half-human counterparts, the dhampirs.**

"You make it sound like rocket science to speak to people who have a higher rank" Rose said.

"That is because not all of us can get away with disrespecting our superiors Rose. We can't all be like you, cause if we were there would be no functional community" I said to her. She smiled and said:

"And that is the Sydney I met in Russia ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back!" She laughed, made the others think it was a joke, but I could see she meant what she said. Thinking back at it I realized how much I had changed in such a short period of time.

**"Spending time with any of them is never fun," I said carefully, keeping my voice cool and haughty. "Doesn't matter how much you do it. But I'll do whatever's necessary to keep us - and everyone else - safe." I didn't need to explain that 'everyone' meant humans.**

"You really know how to speak respectful and still being able to disagree" Guardian Hathaway said, and I felt a little confused. She hadn't spoken much at all, especially not to me. Still I thanked her and said:

"I was learned how to at a young age guardian Hathaway, but thank you."

**"There, you see, Jared?" Barnes sounded pleased with the answer. "The girl knows her duty. We've made a number of arrangements already that should make things run smoothly, and we certainly wouldn't send her there alone - especially since the Moroi girl won't be alone either."**

**"What do you mean?" My father still didn't sound happy about any of this, and I wondered what was upsetting him the most. Did he truly think I might be in danger? Or was he simply worried that spending more time with the Moroi would turn my loyalties even more? "How many of them are coming?"**

"We aren't that bad, they don't have to make us sound like monsters carrying some creepy disease." For the first time in a while Eddie spoke.

"They don't mean to. I mean they wouldn't rise above it when you can't hear them, but all they meant that time was that they don't trust you. To them you are still dark and evil creatures of the night."

**"They're sending a dhampir," said Michaelson. "One of their guardians, which I really don't have a problem with. The location we've chosen should be Strigoi free, but if it's not, better they fight those monsters than us." The guardians were specially trained dhampirs who served as bodyguards.**

"As true as told" Rose said, and the other guardians nodded their heads in agreement.

**"There you are," Horowitz told me, stepping back. "You can sit up."**

**I obeyed and resisted the urge to touch my cheek. The only thing I felt from his work was the needle's sting, but I knew powerful magic was working its way through me, magic that would give me a superhuman immune system and prevent me from speaking about vampire affairs to ordinary humans. **

"That sounds like compulsion" a girl said. It was the only one in the room I had never met before, but she was definitely a moroi. She looked a little like a porcelain doll, except from her, for a moroi, very unusual muscles. I mean she didn't look like a body builder or anything, but she had muscles, something you don't see very often on a the moroi.

"It is compulsion, but only in a very light degree. The alchemists think the result is so much worth for the human race that it weight up the evil in it." I was very careful not to either make me a part of the alchemists, nor make it sounds like I didn't belong with them.

"Oh" She said. We all waited for her to continue, but when she didn't, Dimitri continued to read.

**I tried not to think about the other part, about where that magic came from. The tattoos were a necessary evil.**

**The others were still standing, not paying attention to me - well, except for Zoe. She still looked confused and afraid and kept glancing anxiously my way.**

I looked at my sister from the corner of my eye, and I saw her blushing slightly when everyone heard about her reaction. I felt a little bad for her - I knew how much I hated the fact that everyone got to know all my reactions and i figured it wasn't easier for her.

**"There also may be another Moroi coming along," continued Stanton. "Honestly, I'm not sure why, but they were very insistent he be with Mastrano. We told them the fewer of them we had to hide, the better, but . . . well, they seemed to think it was necessary and said they'd make arrangements for him there. I think he's some Ivashkov. Irrelevant."**

"Wow they really know how to make a guy feel loved" Adrian said with fake hurt in his voice. Most people in the room just laughed at him and Christian (I was almost sure but since no one helped me by saying his name...) said:

"That is because no one loves you Ivashkov." His voice was smooth, like he was talking to a baby, but the big smile in his face revealed him. Adrian, as the adult person he was, stuck his tongue out and before he got a change to say something back, Lissa laid her hand on her boyfriends arm and said:

"Christian, Adrian, please try to behave. Dimitri is looking like he is ready to kill you both if you keep interrupting him." Of course both of the boys stopped what they were doing, I mean the main reason that Lissa became the queen was that she really knew how to deal with people.

**"Where is there?" asked my father. "Where do you want to send her?"**

**Excellent question. I'd been wondering the same thing. My first full-time job with the Alchemists had sent me halfway around the world, to Russia. **

"The good, old days" Rose said with a huge smile towards me. I laughed at her and said:

"Not really Rose. Did you know I had to leave the red hurricane? I never got it back, which is a huge scandal." This was something that really had upset me, which Rose clearly saw in my face. Adrian on the other hand said:

"The red hurricane? Another car? At least it can not have been better than the Ivashkovinator." I laughed again, and then said:

"The red hurricane was the best car I have ever been in, it was even better than the Ivashkovinator!" He pouted and Dimitri begun to read before he got a change to answer.

**If the Alchemists were intent on hiding Jill, there was no telling what remote location they'd send her to. For a moment, I dared to hope we might end up in my dream city: Rome. Legendary works of art and Italian food seemed like a good way to offset paperwork and vampires.**

"I will take you there some day" Adrian whispered, barely high enough for me to hear him. I realized it was low enough for no one else to have heard his words, and I smiled at him. He knew I would love to go there, more than anything else in the world, but he also knew I didn't like when he spent money on me. It made me feel cheap, like I loved him for the money which really wasn't me.

**"Palm Springs," said Barnes.**

**"Palm Springs?" I echoed. That was not what I'd been expecting. When I thought of Palm Springs, I thought of movie stars and golf courses. Not exactly a Roman holiday, but not the Arctic either.**

**A small, wry smile tugged at Stanton's lips. "It's in the desert and receives a lot of sunlight. Completely undesirable for Strigoi."**

"And the moroi" Guardian Hathaway said. "I really hope they made the arrangements for you to keep out of the sun Jillian" she continued. Jill looked at me and said:

"Sydney took care of that as soon as she realized no one other had, but please call me Jill."

**"Wouldn't it be undesirable for Moroi too?" I asked, thinking ahead. Moroi didn't incinerate in the sun like Strigoi, but excessive exposure to it still made Moroi weak and sick.**

**"Well, yes," admitted Stanton. "But a little discomfort is worth the safety it provides. So long as the Moroi spend most of their time inside, it won't be a problem. Plus, it'll discourage other Moroi from coming and - "**

"That is true though" Eddie said, always the practical guardian. Well at least always when someone from a higher rank or a danger was near.

**The sound of a car door opening and slamming outside the window caught everyone's attention. "Ah," said Michaelson. "There are the others. I'll let them in."**

**He slipped out of the study and presumably headed toward the front door to admit whoever had arrived. Moments later, I heard a new voice speaking as Michaelson returned to us.**

**"Well, Dad couldn't make it, so he just sent me," the new voice was saying.**

I tensed, knowing the voice belonged to Keith Darnell. Keith, they guy that I had arranged an attack on as a revenge for what he did to my other sister, Carly.

**The study door opened, and my heart stopped.**

"Why? Was it your old boyfriend or something?" Rose asked me. I saw Adrian tense while waiting for me to answer, and he looked happy when he saw the look of pure disgust in my face.

"Definitely not!" I said with sharp voice to her. She looked a little taken a back, at least enough not to continuing question me.

"So who is it?" Angeline asked.

"You will find out later, and don't ask med about it cause I do not want to talk about him" I said.

**No, I thought. Anyone but him.**

**"Jared," said the newcomer, catching sight of my father. "Great to see you again."**

**My father, who had barely spared me a glance all night, actually smiled. "Keith! I'd been wondering how you've been."**

**The two of them shook hands, and a wave of disgust rolled through me.**

**"This is Keith Darnell," said Michaelson, introducing him to the others.**

"That is the other Alchemist! He who was working here in the beginning of this mission" Rose said.

"Yes it is" I said, since she had looked at me like she wanted an answer.

"Why do you hate him so much? I mean he didn't seem like the best friend material or anything, but hum didn't seem that bad either" she continued.

"Roza, I know it is your nature to just ask and say everything that is on your mind, but Sydney specifically asked you not to ask about the boy" Dimitri said and laid a hand over one of Rose's hands. She looked up at him and then back to me. She said:

"I'm sorry Sydney." I nodded at her and Dimitri continued.

**"Tom Darnell's son?" asked Barnes, impressed. Tom Darnell was a legendary leader among the Alchemists.**

**"The same," said Keith cheerfully. He was about five years older than me, with blond hair a shade lighter than mine. I knew a lot of girls thought he was attractive. Me? I found him vile. He was pretty much the last person I'd expected to see here.**

**"And I believe you know the Sage sisters," added Michaelson.**

"That sounds like a stage name" Adrian said, inappropriate as usual. No one had the energy to answer him, we just turned to Dimitri.

**Keith turned his blue eyes first to Zoe, eyes that were just fractionally different from each other in color. One eye, made of glass, stared blankly ahead and didn't move at all. The other one winked at her as his grin widened.**

**He can still wink, I thought furiously. That annoying, stupid, condescending wink! But then, why wouldn't he? We'd all heard about the accident he'd had this year, an accident that had cost him an eye. He'd still survived with one good one, but somehow, in my mind, I'd thought the loss of an eye would stop that infuriating winking.**

"You sound like you are jealous that it's not you he winks to" Christian said to me. I just stared at him, and then said:

"I would kill him if he gave me that wink" which made him go quiet. Adrian ran his thumb over my hand in a smoothing gesture, and I felt myself let go of the anger Keith Darnell caused me.

**"Little Zoe! Look at you, all grown up," he said fondly. I'm not a violent person, not by any means, but I suddenly wanted to hit him for looking at my sister that way.**

"You know something is wrong when Sydney want to him someone" Rose said with a wink, almost as irritating as Keith's right now.

**She managed a smile for him, clearly relieved to see a familiar face here. When Keith turned toward me, however, all that charm and friendliness vanished. The feeling was mutual.**

"Will we ever the full story?" Jill asked. Considering it was her, she wondered because she cared, unlike the others who was just curious.

"Unfortunately I think you will Jill." I worked really hard not to look at Abe and was thankful to Dimitri as he picked up the book again.

**The burning, black hatred building up inside of me was so overwhelming that it took me a moment to formulate any sort of response. "Hello, Keith," I said stiffly.**

**Keith didn't even attempt to match my forced civility. He immediately turned toward the senior Alchemists. "What is she doing here?"**

"Wow, really smooth, but I guess that is what should be expected from a guy like him" Adrian said with anger in his voice. He, and of course Jill by him, were the ones who knew the best why I hated him, and they were definitely (fortunately) on my side.

**"We know you requested Zoe," said Stanton levelly, "but after consideration, we decided it would be best if Sydney fulfill this role. Her experience dwarfs any concerns about her past actions."**

**"No," said Keith swiftly, turning that steely blue gaze back on me. "There is no way she can come, no way I'm trusting some twisted vamp lover to screw this up for all of us. We're taking her sister."**

"Really? Sydney, a vamp lover? Does this guy know anything about anything?" asked Rose. I shrugged and said:

"Not much at least."

"We can see that. And add the maturity of a three years old, we have the prefect jackass" Christian said. We all laughed and then Dimitri handed the book to Rose with a huge smile and said:¨

"Your turn." She laughed at him and read:

**Chapter 2...**

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Please leave a review!

/kajjjann


	3. Reading chapter 2

Still re-uploading.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Bloodlines or VA world, it is all the work of the fantastic Richelle Mead!

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**Chapter 2.**

**A couple of people gasped, no doubt over Keith's use of the term "vamp lover." **

"At least it not just us who realize how absurd it is to call you a vamp lover. Even they realize that you are not that close to us vampires, though I have to say I still don't see why it would be so bad. I mean if we actually liked each other that would mean that it would be easier to trust each other, and help each other. Would that really be so bad?" To all of our surprise it was Rose who spoke, and all who didn't live in Palm Spring nodded and looked like they agreed with her. But Adrian gave us all a smug smile and said:

"I have a very strong feeling that if you continue to read little Dhampir you will see that you are wrong, and that there was another reason for them to react that way."

"What do you mean?" This time it was Lissa who asked, and Eddie who answered:

"If everyone had kept quiet, we would already know..." They all quickly fell silent and Rose picked up the book again.

**Neither word was that terrible in and of itself, but together... well, they represented an idea that was pretty much anathema to all that the Alchemists stood for. **

"Oh" Rose exclaimed (**To Beta**: Do you think exclaimed is the correct word?)

**We fought to protect humans from vampires. Being in league with those creatures was about the vilest thing any of us could be accused of. **

"Seriously? The vilest thing of all? Even worse than... I don't know, murder someone?" It was Lissa's boyfriend, who I by that time knew was called Christian, who spoke up.

"Yes, because if we murder someone that is because of the darkness that is inside of us, it means that we were weak, like every human is at some point. But if we begin to like the vampires, that means that the evil has increased the darkness inside of us, making it worse. It means that the balance is broken, and has to be restored which is why we have re-education centers" I answered.

"And there is the reason for which I love being moroi instead of human" said Adrian. The others looked at him like he was having one of his spirit-weirdness-ramblings again, but I, and probably Jill as well, knew he meant that even if he was human and by that be with me, it wouldn't be worth it, due to the Alchemists weird way of looking at things.

Most of the people in the room shook their heads at him when they realized he wouldn't even try to explain what he meant, but I saw that Rose gave him a look, and then looked at me, before she turned her head to look at our hands, which was still linked together. She then gave me another of those long looks before she begun to read again.

**Even while questioning me earlier, the other Alchemists had been very careful with their choice of language.**

Keith's usage was almost obscene. Horowitz looked angry on my behalf and opened his mouth as though he might make an equally biting retort. After a quick glance at Zoe and me, he seemed to reconsider, and stayed silent. 

I gave Zoe a look while Rose continued to read, and I saw that even if she was angry with me and avoided to look at me, she also looked sad. I knew it probably was because she really felt sorry for me, and believed that she did me a favor by turning me in, and I couldn't help myself from feeling sorry for her. She didn't belong in this world, she shouldn't be here. She shouldn't have the lily on her cheek, she should be free to live her own life. To live a free life. I sighed. It was hopeless, she was already here and I knew, better than most, that there was no turning back. I felt Adrian hug my hand a little tighter and turned mu head to look at him. He had his small little smile, and with his eyes he told me that everything would be alright. I hugged his hand back, and gave him a small smile of my own. I knew that even if it would be hard I had to find a way of having him in my life, cause if I had, I would be able to work, and get, through everything that came in my way.

**Michaelson, however, couldn't help himself from muttering, "Protect us all." He made the sign against evil.**

"Do you have your own special sign for that?" Jill asked, her voice as innocent as ever.

"Yes we have Jill, it a small cross on our left shoulder." (**To Beta:** Do you remember if it's the left or the right?)****

Yet it wasn't Keith's name-calling that really set me off (though that did certainly send a chill through me). It was Stanton's earlier offhand comment. We know you requested Zoe.

"We all know that you have become very full of yourself this last year Sydney, but that doesn't mean that everyone will request you" Zoe said, still with hate in her voice. But this time I could hear a small faint of sadness and insecurity in it as well, so instead of saying something mean or irritated back I simply just said:

"I know that Zoe, and you know that no matter what you do to me I will always love you, and I know fully well how capable you are, that is not the reason for my surprise." She looked a little taken a back, though she quickly hid it, and turned away from me.****

Keith had requested Zoe for this assignment? My resolve to keep her out of it grew by leaps and bounds. The thought of her going off with him made me clench my fists. Everyone here might think Keith Darnell was some kind of poster child, but I knew better. No girl - let alone my sister - should be left alone with him.

"What does that mean?" Eddie said, protective as ever. He had become a brother to me during the time at Amberwood, and I knew that if some guy did something to me, he would definitely go back and teach him a lesson.

"Sydney, has he done something towards you? Has he... I don't know... raped you or something?" For the first time since I met her, I heard Rose being a little shaken, and not saying exactly what she wanted. She sounded a little insecure, like she was scared of what my reaction might be.

"He hasn't done anything to me, but I think you will find out what I was thinking about later on in this book" I said with steady voice. I hated Keith for what he had done to my sister, and I strongly disliked what he had done last year with the tattoos, but considering how broken he had looked when I saw him last time, I couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. No one deserved re-education, not even Keith Darnell.****

"Keith," said Stanton, a gentle warning in her voice. "I can respect your feelings, but you aren't in a position to make that call."

He flushed. "Palm Springs is my post! I have every right to dictate what goes on in my territory."

"He sounds like a three-years old" Guardian Hathaway said with a strong disapproving tone in her voice.

"He is like a three-years old" I said, which earned me another glare from my sister. She really idolized Keith, even after he had gone into re-education.****

"I can understand why you'd feel that way," said my father. Unbelievable. If Zoe or I had questioned authority like Keith had, our father wouldn't have hesitated to tell us our "rights" - or rather, he'd tell us that we had none. 

"Can't you see how wrong that is Sage? He doesn't respect you, and ever worse - he is a sexist!" Adrian looked at me with his beautiful green eyes, and I had to turn my head away in order to answer.

"No. I know he is a little sexist, but he is still my father and I love him. He is only strict because he want us to succeed. Please just drop the subject Adrian." He looked like he was about to ignore my words and continue to say what he though about my father, but when he saw my pleading look he said:

"Okay, but only because it's you. But I seriously think you should talk with him, because this is not working out for the two of you."

"And I appreciate that you care, but I have to do this my way." That was a lie. I would love to sit down with my father and to get the change of telling him what I though we had to change, and for it to really happen, but I knew it was just a childish dream and that if I wanted any contact at all with my father, this was the way it needed to be.

**Keith had stayed with my family one summer - young Alchemists sometimes did that while training - and my father had grown to regard him like the son he'd never had. Even then, there'd been a double standard between Keith and us. Time and distance apparently hadn't diminished that.**

All people in the room looked sorry for me, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I didn't want their compassion, it made me feel suffocated. Guardian Hathaway and Abe looked angry, probably since they both were parents and both had had a very bad relation to their daughter, which had changed only a short time ago. They probably felt like the never wanted to be to Rose, like my father was to me.****

"Palm Springs may be your post," said Stanton, "but this assignment is coming from places in the organization that are far above your reach. You're essential for coordination, yes, but you are by no means the ultimate authority here." Unlike me, I suspected Stanton had smacked a few people in her day, and I think she wanted to do that to Keith now. 

"I wished she had" I though, but it wasn't until I saw the weird looks that I realized I had though it aloud. Rose said:

"I didn't think you liked physical violence Sydney?" She had glee in her eyes and I gave her a smile and said:

"I'm not, at least not normally. But you know, some cases are the exceptions to the rule." She laughed, along with Eddie, Christian and Adrian and then continued to read.

**It was funny that she would become my defender, since I'd been pretty sure she didn't buy my story about using Rose to advance my career.**

" I don'y understand how anyone could buy that. I mean you are the person that seek for glory and such the least" Jill said. I kew she didn't mean anything bad, but I saw Zoe flinch a little, and then she looked surprised. After all - she had bought it, and still believed it a little I though. I mean she had said she believed and understood me when she first came to Palm springs, but I had had a feeling she hadn't, she just didn't want to fight. But Jill knew nothing about this, so I said:

"Thank you Jill, that was kind, and it means a lot coming from you." I smiled at her which she returned before she said:

"It's the truth. You are a wonderful person Sydney!" I felt myself blush a little, I wasn't that used to compliments, the only persons who gave them to me was my mother and Adrian. Luckily no one commented this, so Rose picked up the book again.****

Keith visibly calmed himself, wisely realizing a childish outburst wasn't going to get him anywhere. "I understand. But I'm simply worried about the success of this mission. I know both of the Sage girls. Even before Sydney's 'incident,' I had serious concerns about her. I figured she'd grow out of them, though, so I didn't bother saying anything at the time. 

"That is just complete bullshit!" Rose said aloud. She looked really angry, and Dimitri said:

"Yes Roza, it is, but it does not get better by you getting mad right now." he placed a quick kiss on her head, and she visibly calmed down.

**I see now I was wrong. Back then, I actually thought Zoe would have been a far better choice for the family position. No offense, Jared." He gave my father what was probably supposed to be a charming smile.**

Rose looked angry again, but after what Dimitri had said she actually kept quiet. But his words didn't stop everyone so Christian said, just simply:

"He really is a douchebag." which no one disagreed on. I saw that Zoe was on her way of saying something in Keith's defense, but after a look at me she kept quiet. I guessed she didn't want to look like a child again if I was to use my I-Am-Older-And-Higher-Up-Than-You-So-Keep-That-Mou th-Shut card again.****

Meanwhile, it was getting harder and harder to hide my incredulity. "Zoe was eleven when you stayed with us," I said. "How in the world could you have drawn those conclusions?" I didn't buy for an instant that he'd had "concerns" about me back then. No - scratch that. He'd probably had concerns the last day he stayed with us, when I confronted him about a dirty secret he'd been hiding. 

"Can't you just tell us what it is? I know you say we will find out later, so why not just spare us the pain in waiting and tell us now?" Rose looked a little like a child whose mother refuses to buy her that new and shiny toy she wants, but I just said:

"What's the fun in that? I don't want to talk about it, and I don't want you to know, but I have to say that it's kind of funny seeing how much it disturbs you not knowing." She poked her tongue out at me and said:

"That is just plain mean, I thought we were friends!" The entire room except from Guardian Hathaway and Zoe fell into laugher because of her childish words in combination with a really whiny voice.. Rose tried to keep her sour expression, but failed miserably and laughed with the rest of us. When the laugher finally died out, Rose continued to read.

**That, I was almost certain, was what all of this was about. He wanted me silenced. My adventures with Rose were simply an excuse to get me out of the way.**

"Zoe was always advanced for her age," Keith said. "Sometimes you can just tell."

I looked at Zoe again, and thought that maybe Keith was right. I knew he had only said it to get rid of me, but looking back now, Zoe had always been more accepting of all of this than me. I had always though things like "Why do we do it this way, when we could do it that way?" and "Why does it have to be me, I want a normal life, not being homeschooled and then lay my life in the hands of the alchemists?" I had back then believed in the case, and I "knew" it was necessary, but I didn't want to do it the way the alchemists were, I thought there was better ways. And I didn't want it to be me, I hated the fact that I would never be able to go to university or something like that.****

"Zoe's never seen a Strigoi, let alone a Moroi! She'd probably freeze up if she did. That's true of most Alchemists," I pointed out. "Whoever you send is going to have to be able to stand being around them, and no matter what you think of my reasons, I'm used to them. I don't like them, but I know how to tolerate them. Zoe hasn't had anything but the most basic of instruction - and that's all been in our home. Everyone keeps saying this is a serious assignment. Do you really want to risk its outcome because of inexperience and unsubstantiated fears?"

Guardian Hathaway nodded in approvement, like she thought that what I had said had been the right thing. I noticed that Abe was unusually quiet, and when I looked at him, he sat and studied me. I twitched a little, which of course made him smile. he looked up to my face and gave me a look that I couldn't quite read. Was it reassurance? Was he amused by my reaction to him looking at me? Was it something else? I gave up trying to figure out what he meant, and turned my head towards Rose again.

**I finished, proud of myself for staying calm and making such a reasoned argument.**

Barnes shifted uneasily. "But if Keith had doubts years ago..."

"Zoe's training is still probably enough to get by," said my father.

"Really!? Just five minutes earlier they all said that you should be the one going considering her lack of training! And now just because some slimy guy came in and told them something he just made up, they are willing to completely change their minds? That does not make any sense, and coming from me? That is really bad!" Rose looked really pissed and I remembered why I didn't want to get on her bad side.

"What you have to realize is that Keith's father is one of the highest up Alchemists that is alive, and considering he gives an image of walking in his fathers footstep, his words means a lot, and weights heavy."

"That is not right. Everyone should have to earn their credibility themselves, they should not be able to rest at some other persons work. And here it's obvious that he does not act like a grownup and should not have the credibility of one, even less of one who is high up." It was guardian Hathaway who came with the statement and I couldn't do anything but agree:

"I completely agree with you Guardian Hathaway, but there is nothing neither one of us can do to change it. This is the system the Alchemists follow, and as long as you aren't one of the highest up you can't change it."

"Which means it will never change, because those who are high up are probably there due to someone else's work, and they have no intension of changing that because if they did, they would lose their power." She said with a sigh. I silently agreed once more, but I felt that a verbal answer would only repeat what I had said earlier.****

Five minutes ago, my father had endorsed me going instead of her! Was anyone here even listening to me? It was like I was invisible now that Keith was here. Horowitz had been busily cleaning and putting away his tattooing tools but looked up to scoff at Barnes's remark.

"You said the magic words: 'years ago.' Keith couldn't have been much older than these girls are now." Horowitz shut his tool case and leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed. "I don't doubt you, Keith. Not exactly. But I'm not really sure you can base your opinion of her off memories from when you were all children."

"There is someone who actually can use logic! Even if he by that says that you still are a child, at least he fights for you, and use a valid reason. If Zoe only was eleven and Keith was about 17, then there is no way he could have seen something in her that would effect how she was then and there. Because of Zoe was eleven than you Sydney must have been around 14, and there is no way a 17 or 18 years old would use that much energy into studying two girls who is much younger than him, only to see if they would be able to do their duty later." This time it was Lissa who spoke, and when she did I once more realized why she was the Queen. She had the power of the words, she knew exactly what to say, and how to make her opinion shine through in a convincing way.

"Yes, and he didn't even spend much time with us, at least not while we were training. We had separate trainings, so we only saw each other during dinner and such" I said.

"Well then it's even less likely that he would have seen something." Lissa noted. Instead of continuing the conversation we turned back to Rose, in a gesture that made her understand it was to go back to reading.

'The sooner we get it over with, the better' I thought.****

By Horowitz's logic, he was saying I was still a child, but I didn't care. He'd delivered his comments in an effortless, easy way that nonetheless left Keith looking like an idiot. Keith knew it, too, and turned bright red.

"I concur," said Stanton, who was clearly getting impatient. "Sydney wants this badly, and few would, considering it means she'll actually have to live with a vampire."

Want it badly? Not exactly. But I did want to protect Zoe at all costs and restore my credibility. If it meant thwarting Keith Darnell along the way, then so much the - "Wait," I said, replaying Stanton's words. "Did you say live with a vampire?"

All vampires and half-vampires in the room fell into laughter, even guardian Hathaway. Trey and Micah fell into it as well, and soon it was just me and Zoe who wasn't laughing. Eddie recovered first and managed to say:

"What did you think your were going to do? The plan was to hide her and keep an eye on her, and that is really hard if you don't live with her!" I blushed a little, but before I got the change to answer, Adrian leaned closer and said with fake scary voice:

"What's the matter my dear? Afraid of fairytales like vampires? We don't bite you know" which lead to another round of laugher. He was really good at doing that voice, and I had a feeling he had used it many times at parties and such.

"Yes, I was actually!" I said, which made him laugh again. But then his features got softer and he said with a voice so low that only I could hear him:

"Don't be afraid, I wont be you unless you ask me to." I smiled back at him, because I knew he meant what he said. He would never do anything that I didn't want him to, and I trusted him.

"I know, and I love you for it" I said, just as quiet. Hell would break loose if anyone heard me saying that I loved something about Adrian, and I was not ready for that yet.****

"Yes," said Stanton. "Even if she's in hiding, the Moroi girl still has to have some semblance of a normal life. We figured we'd kill two birds with one stone and enroll her in a private boarding school. Take care of her education and lodging. We would make arrangements for you to be her roommate."

"Wouldn't that mean... wouldn't that mean I'd have to go to school?" I asked, feeling a little puzzled now. 

"You get told that you are going to live with a vampire, and it's the school art that bothers you the most?" I heard Zoe mutter quietly, probably in the thought that we wouldn't hear her. I felt a little sad by her statement, but since it was obvious that she didn't want us to hear it, I didn't comment on it.

**"I already graduated." High school, at least. I'd made it clear a number of times to my father that I'd love to go to college. He'd made it equally clear that he didn't feel there was a need.**

After all of our... eh... 'conversations' in the subject of my father, no one dared to say anything about it, but I saw a few of the people in the room giving the book angry looks, like my father would feel the hate through the pages.****

"You see?" said Keith, jumping on the opportunity. "She's too old. Zoe's a better age match."

"Sydney can pass for a senior. She's the right age." Stanton gave me a once-over. "Besides, you were homeschooled, right? This'll be a new experience for you. You can see what you were missing."

Eddie and Jill fell into laugher, considering they knew how hard the entire fit-into-school thing had been to me. Eddie said:

"I really agree on the new experience thing, but I can't say that it went very well, at least not in the beginning." He laughed again and Jill said:

"But it has gotten better. You fit in good now, or at least better than in the beginning. Probably even better than me." She smiled, but I could see the pain behind those words, so I said:

"Jill, they will come to accept you as well, you just have to be yourself a little more. They accepted you while you were with Micah, which proves that they don't think you are weird or anything, they are just not sure were to fit you while you stand on your own two feet." She smiled, a genuine smile this time.

"I know, but it's hard. But it's better now at least, right?"

"Yes it is, and if it gets worse again, then we will deal with it, you know that we always have your back."

"I know, and I love you all for it. But it sucks that when I get single, my whole world changes, but when you broke up with Brayden, nothing changed." I was about to say something more and then get back to reading, but Rose interrupted me:

"Wait what!? Broke up with Brayden? Who is Brayden? Did you have a boyfriend? how come you didn't tell me?"

"Rose calm down, it never got to serious. Yes we were together for a little while, no we didn't fit together which is why we broke up." It wasn't a straight out lie, but I didn't feel like going into the main reason for our breakup - I liked Adrian, and Brayden though Adrian took to much of my life, an adding the time Jill needed, there wasn't much time left for me to be with him.

"Do you really expect me to just say okay and let it go? We have to talk about this, but if you want to I can wait until the end of this chapter" Rose said. I realized that was the best offer I would get and nodded at her.****

"It would probably be easy for you," said my father grudgingly. "Your education was superior to anything they can offer." Nice backhanded compliment, Dad.

I was afraid to show how uneasy this deal was making me. My resolve to look out for Zoe and myself hadn't changed, but the complications just kept growing. Repeat high school. Live with a vampire. Keep her in witness protection. And even though I'd talked up how comfortable I was around vampires, the thought of sharing a room with one - even a seemingly benign one like Jill - was unnerving. 

"Only because I didn't know you Jill, by now I have no trouble with the thought of sharing a room with you. I actually like it" I said when I saw her sad face. Before she got the change to answer me how ever, Rose started to read again. I looked up at her, a little surprised since she had always cared for Jill and wanted her to be happy. When I looked up I realized she had interrupted us because she wanted to get this over with so that she could interrogate me about Brayden, which I had come to fear a little due to the sympathetic looks from everybody close to her in the room.

**Another woe occurred to me.**

"Would you be an undercover student too?" I asked Keith. The idea of lending him class notes made me nauseous again.

"I have a feeling that if he was an undercover student as you call it, that would be all you did, cause I have a feeling he wouldn't take any notes himself" Rose said, which cased Eddie to say:

"Like you then? I think the only reason you actually graduated from school was mine and Lissa's notes from all not-guardian-related classes." Rose quickly poked her tongue out at him, but didn't disagree which made me feel that what Eddie said was true.****

"Of course not," he said, sounding insulted. "I'm too old. I'll be the Local Area Mission Liaison." 

"He just made that up, right?" Adrian said.

"Yes I think so, at least I have never heard it either before nor after he said it" i said.

"Then it must be that way, because you are basically a walking dictionary Sydney, and if you haven't heard a word than it does not exist" Rose exclaimed. I laughed a little with her, and some of the others, but inside I was feeling a little sad. Of course I loved that the people I considered being my friends looked up to me because I was smart, I just wished that they would se the rest of me. I was so much more than just a brain, and one of the things I loved about Adrian and Jill was that they both saw that. I knew Eddie saw it as well, not as much, but on the other hand we weren't as close. But I hoped that more than three people could see ME, not just a part of me.

**I was willing to bet he'd just made that title up on the spot. "My job is to help coordinate the assignment and report back to our superiors. And I'm not going to do it if she's the one there." He looked from face to face as he spoke that last line, but there was no question who she was. Me.**

"Then would should he? I bet you have many more places where he could work, places with a bigger moroi, and because of that, strigoi population. I am sure your superiors could make the necessary changes for it" Guardian Hathaway said.

"That is what they threatened him with, but unlucky for me he choose that that would be even worse than spending a little time with me. I am sure the book will tell you his plan later on." I smiled at her, I liked her. There was a few things she had that were identical with her daughter, but most of her was just her. She was not afraid of fighting for what she believed in, or saying what she was thinking. She was the kind of person who was smart, but didn't need to brag about it. If she had been the head of the alchemists, I was sure it would have been a much better organization.****

"Then don't," said Stanton bluntly. "Sydney is going. That's my decision, and I'll argue it to any higher authority you want to take it to. If you are so against her placement, Mr. Darnell, I will personally see that you are transferred out of Palm Springs and don't have to deal with her at all."

Guardian Hathaway looked pleased and even though I hated all the lies and false games Stanton had been playing for god knew how long, I had to agree that in that moment when she told Keith of I had loved her. She had said exactly what I had wanted to hear, and I loved how much sense her words were making. She was tired of hearing Keith being childish, and just gave him a decision, like she would have to any adult. Even though I didn't like the Alchemist any more by the time we were reading, I had to say that I liked how they treated you as an adult, and not a child. They had forced us to become adults before our time, so it was not more than right that they treated us like it.****

All eyes swiveled to Keith, and he hesitated. She'd caught him in a trap, I realized. I had to imagine that with its climate, Palm Springs didn't see a lot of vampire action. Keith's job there was probably pretty easy, whereas when I'd worked in St. Petersburg, I'd been constantly having to do damage control.

"Sorry about that" Rose said without looking the least sorry. I rolled my eyes and said:

"You weren't the only dhampir killing strigoi there Rose, you were just the only one who didn't call me. But I have to say I think you were the one who made me have to do the most damage control of all people, even if the others did too." I heard how weird my own sentence were sounding, but for once I was with friends and didn't bother to correct myself.****

That place was a vampire haven, as were some of the other places in Europe and Asia my father had taken me to visit. Don't even get me started about Prague. If Keith were transferred, he took the risk of not only getting a bigger workload but also of being in a much worse location. Because although Palm Springs wasn't desirable for vampires, it sounded kind of awesome for humans.

"It must be. Do you still think that now that you are living there Sydney?" Jill said. As always she wore her little smile, a smile that screamed innocent. I knew she wasn't always that innocent, if someone she cared about was in danger, or in any way hurt, she turned into some sort of monster in order to protect the people she loved.

"Yes Jill I really like Palm Springs, but not only for the climate. You know, the company is kind of awesome as well." Her little smile was replaced by a huge grin, and she said:

"Even If I have to disagree about the climate, I fully agree on the company. The wether is just to hot and without water for my taste." I smiled back and thought about how hard it must be to her not to be close to her magic. In the beginning the thought of vampire magic had scared me to death, but by now when I had my own magic, it wasn't as scary anymore. I couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it must be to feel the magic but not being able to use it. I said:

¨"Maybe we can take a trip down to the beach one night when we get out of here." She brightened up even more, got to her feet and hugged me! At first I was a little shocked, not because I was scared of her, but because of that she did it so open. I mean my sister was in the same room! But soon I realized it was too late to change it, so I might as well enjoy it. I hugged her back, and then we let go. Rose continued to read.****

Keith's face confirmed as much. He didn't want to leave Palm Springs. "What if she goes there, and I have reason to suspect her of treason again?"

"Then report her," said Horowitz, shifting restlessly. He obviously wasn't impressed with Keith. "The same as you would anyone."

"I can increase some of Zoe's training in the meantime," said my father, almost as an apology to Keith. It was clear whose side my father was on. It wasn't mine. It wasn't even Zoe's, really. "Then, if you find fault with Sydney, we can replace her."

"The love is in the air...Not" Rose sung with an annoying voice.

"Rose! Don't! No comments about my father is not just a rule for Adrian, that goes for all of you. I know exactly how and who he is, and I don't need anyone making comments about him. Is that understood!?" I heard how harsh my voice was sounding, but to my complete and utter surprise everyone nodded and then Abe said:

"Good Sydney, you should always be loyal towards your family, because I am sure that there is a reason for them to act as the do." His words made me a little uneasy, like he knew something I didn't, but I quickly pushed the thought away. I did not need Zmey to put stupid ideas in my head.****

I bristled at the thought of Keith being the one to decide if I had faults, but that didn't bother me nearly as much as the thought of Zoe still being tied to this. If my father was keeping her on standby, then she wasn't out of danger yet. The Alchemists could still have their hooks in her - as could Keith. I vowed then that no matter what it took, even if I had to handfeed him grapes, I would make sure Keith had no reason to doubt my loyalties.

"Good plan Sage, too bad it didn't work. But I have to say that argue with him, no matter how entertaining it was, was not the best way of making him believe your loyalty" Adrian said with a smug smile.

"Yeah yeah whatever Adrian. It wasn't my intention to argue, it just happened. And no Rose I wont tell you the book will later on." I added the last part when I saw Rose open her mouth, and when I had said it she closed it while looking sour.****

"Fine," he said, the word seeming to cause him a lot of pain. "Sydney can go... for now. But I'll be watching you." He fixed his gaze on me. "And I'm not going to cover for you. You'll be responsible for keeping that vampire girl in line and getting her to her feedings."

"Feedings?" I asked blankly. Of course. Jill would need blood. For a moment, all my confidence wavered. 

"Really Sage? What did you think, that she was going to feed from you?

"Hey I didn't ask for you to read my thoughts, which means you have no right to make fun of me for them. And to answer your question Adrian: Yes for a little while I thought that, but then my logical sense came back. Satisfied?" I felt myself blush deeply, and even though I am not normally a sensitive person, I felt myself on the verge of tears when they all laughed at me. I had no trouble with the laughing itself, you should always be able to just shrug it of, it was the subject that was touchy. Being fed from was one of my greatest fears, and I hated that they could see me like that, so vulnerable.

Adrian silently hugged my hand which made me look at him and there I saw what I needed to see. Reassurance. Comfort. Love. I smiled at him and blink the tears in my eyes away, before anyone else got the chance of seeing them. Soon we went back to reading.

**It was easy to talk about hanging out with vampires when none were around. Easier still when you didn't think about what it was that made vampires who they were. Blood. That terrible, unnatural need that fueled their existence. An awful thought sprang into my mind, vanishing as quickly as it came. Am I supposed to give her my blood? No. That was ridiculous. That was a line the Alchemists would never cross. Swallowing, I tried to conceal my brief moment of panic. "How do you plan on feeding her?"**

This time no one commented on it, I had already told them that I had thought this. But once again, Adrian hugged my hand a little closer for a brief second, but even after that he didn't let go. It made me feel good, made me feel like maybe I was something more than just the alchemist who had lost her track, maybe I was good, because if I wasn't - why would a such amazing guy as Adrian have any feelings for me?****

Stanton nodded to Keith. "Would you explain?" I think she was giving him a chance to feel important, as a way of making up for his earlier defeat. He ran with it.

"There's only one Moroi we know of living in Palm Springs," said Keith. As he spoke, I noticed that his tousled blond hair was practically coated in gel. It gave his hair a slimy shine that I didn't think was attractive in the least. Also, I didn't trust any guy who used more styling products than I did. 

"Does that mean you don't trust me then Sage?" Adrian said with his half-smile. But I could see a little lack of confidence behind it.

"No it doesn't, or at least it isn't due to the hair" I said with glee in my voice, but with my eyes I told him the truth: I trusted him more than anyone else, maybe even more than myself sometimes. He looked reassured but kept his cocky half-smile, in order to keep up the act towards the other people in the room.

**"And if you ask me, he's crazy. But he's harmless crazy - inasmuch as any of them are harmless. He's this old recluse who lives outside the city. He's got this hang-up about the Moroi government and doesn't associate with any of them, so he isn't going to tell anyone you guys are there. Most importantly, he's got a feeder he's willing to share."**

I frowned. "Do we really want Jill hanging out with some anti-government Moroi? The whole purpose is to keep them stable. If we introduce her to some rebel, how do we know he won't try to use her?"

"Good point well made miss Sage" Abe said. "But I looked him up loads of times before we decided to go with him, and the incompetent boy is right - he really is harmless."

"I know that, they told me you were they one who looked him up later on, and even thought no alchemist like you at all - we all have to admit that if you say he is harmless, then he really is that. And by now we know that it was true, he was just a little lonely."

"But his son wasn't as nice..." Eddie commented. Jill looked a little sad by that, since Lee, the son, had turned out to be an ex-strigoi who would do anything to get turned again. That eventually became his death, and nearly mine and Adrian's as well. I flinched a little, the thought of Lee made me uneasy. We had all trusted him so easy, and we had all had to pay for it.****

"That's an excellent point," said Michaelson, seeming surprised to admit as much.

I hadn't meant to undermine Keith. My mind had just jumped ahead in this way it had, spotting a potential problem and pointing it out. From the look he gave me, though, it was like I was purposely trying to discredit his statement and make him look bad.

"Even I aren't that full of myself" Adrian said, which caused Rose to say:

"And that says it all." Most people in the room fell into laughter, and I was happy to see that Rose and Adrian was getting along again. After how badly their relationship had ended, I had feared that they would never be able to be in peace with each other again, but here they were, proving me wrong. And for the first time I was happy to be wrong, they were both such wonderful people, and it made me glad that they could share that with each other.****

"We won't tell him who she is, obviously," he said, a glint of anger in his good eye. "That would be stupid. And he's not part of any faction. He's not part of anything. He's convinced the Moroi and their guardians let him down, so he wants nothing to do with any of them. I've passed a story to him about how Jill's family has the same antisocial feelings, so he's sympathetic."

"You're right to be wary, Sydney," said Stanton. There was a look of approval in her eyes, like she was pleased at having defended me. That approval meant a lot to me, considering how fierce she often seemed. 

'To bad she turned out to be a lying bitch' I thought. I didn't say anything, but my face probably showed anger, because no one else dared to speak either. It was good, because I didn't want to speak about my superior who I once had looked up to, but now could feel nothing else than hatred for. Stanton wasn't who I had thought she was, and I was happy that I knew that now. I would have hated myself if I still was like Zoe - young and blindly trusting whoever had a higher rank than me.

**"We can't assume anything about any of them. Although we also checked out this Moroi with Abe Mazur, who concurs he's harmless enough."**

"Abe Mazur?" scoffed Michaelson. He scratched at his graying beard. "Yes. I'm sure he'd be an expert on who's harmless or not."

"Is that irony I hear?" Abe said with his dangerous smile.

"No it's just a finding of facts." (**To Beta:** Is that what is called? I had to use google translate, but finding doesn't seem like the correct word to me? What I meant to say is that he only stated a fact. How would you say it?) He chuckled at my words, but not in a comforting way, it was more like he was satisfied with my answer.****

My heart lurched at the name, but I tried not to show it. Do not react, do not react, I ordered my face. After a deep breath, I asked very, very carefully, "Is Abe Mazur the Moroi who's going with Jill? I've met him before... but I thought you said it was an Ivashkov who was going." If Abe Mazur was in residence in Palm Springs, that would alter things significantly.

"Wouldn't you like having me there miss Sage?" He asked with a creepy smile.

"Well since you already know the answer: No I wouldn't." There was no point in trying to lie something together, he already knew I didn't like him and that I was scared of him telling anyone my secret.

"You hurt my feeling" he said with a fake-hurted face.

"Yeah right old man, no one can hurt your feelings, because you don't care what anyone thinks. But you should not scare poor Sydney up" Rose jumped in to defend me. I looked gratefully at her, to which she replied with a look that said:

'No big deal.'****

Michaelson scoffed. "No, we'd never send you off with Abe Mazur. He's simply been helping with the organization of this plan."

"What's so bad about Abe Mazur?" asked Keith. "I don't know who he is."

"Really? That was why he seemed so cocky when we met?" Abe asked me.

"Yeah I guess. But since it's Keith we are talking about, maybe not. He is always cocky and arrogant, and I think he just wanted to show you that you were in his area while you were in Palm Springs."

"Interesting. Maybe I should pay him a visit, and then we can see how arrogant he is."

"I don't think that is a good plan old man, you know it's bad for your back to go around scaring people half-way to death and back" Rose said. Before Abe got the change to answer his daughter I said:

"It wouldn't be worth it, Keith is in re-education so he isn't anywhere near arrogant anymore." I heard the gasp from Zoe, probably because she didn't know I had seen in how bad condition he really was. There were many scary stories from re-education, but none of those who had been there told anyone what it had been like. I knew, because I had seen the panic in Keith's face as he begged them to let him go, to not force him back in there. No one said anything for a while after that, and even when Rose begun to read, there was no interruptions for a while. I had a feeling everyone was lost in their own thoughts.****

I studied Keith very closely as he spoke, looking for some trace of deception. But, no. His face was all innocence, openly curious. His blue eyes - or eye, rather - held a rare look of confusion, contrasting with the usual know-it-all arrogance. Abe's name meant nothing to him. I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

'If he wasn't shocked by what I just told him, he would have commented this like 'I actually know how to do my job well miss Sage. Didn't I tell you that?' And everyone in the room would have looked like question marks' I thought quietly.****

"A scoundrel," said Stanton flatly. "He knows far too much about things he shouldn't. He's useful, but I don't trust him."

A scoundrel? That was an understatement. Abe Mazur was a Moroi whose nickname in Russia - zmey, the serpent - said it all. Abe had done a number of favors for me, ones I'd had to pay back at considerable risk to myself. Part of that payback had been helping Rose escape. Well, he'd called it payback; I called it blackmail. I had no desire to cross paths with him again, mostly because I was afraid of what he'd ask for next. The frustrating part was that there was no one I could go to for help. My superiors wouldn't react well to learning that, in addition to all my other solo activities with vampires, I was making side deals with them.

"You could have gone to me" Rose said and broke the silence.

"Yeah, but I didn't need to. The book make it sounds worse than it really was, I promise." I added the 'I promise' part when I saw that she didn't believe me, and to my big surprise she let it go. She only said:

"Okay I believe you, but know that you can always come to me if you need to" before she continued to read, not giving me a change to answer.****

"None of them are to be trusted," my father pointed out. He made the Alchemist sign against evil, drawing a cross on his left shoulder with his right hand.

"Yes, well, Mazur's worse than most," said Michaelson. He stifled a yawn, reminding all of us that it was the middle of the night. "Are we all set, then?"

There were murmurs of assent. Keith's stormy expression displayed how unhappy he was at not getting his way, but he made no more attempts to stop me from going. "I guess we can leave anytime now," he said.

It took me a second to realize that the "we" meant him and me. "Right now?" I asked in disbelief.

"Wow speaking about fair warning. At least we got like a week to pack our things and plan everything, not like 30 seconds like you" Eddie said. He had been quite quiet while we read, only came with a few comments, but when they came, like now, they always made sense.

"Tell me about it" I muttered. "I am use of short notice, but like a few seconds? I think that is some kind of record, even for the alchemists."****

He shrugged. "The vampires are going to be on their way soon. We need to make sure everything's set up for them. If we switch off driving, we can be there by tomorrow afternoon."

"Great," I said stiffly. A road trip with Keith. Ugh. But what else could I say? I had no choice in this, and even if I did, I was in no position to turn down anything the Alchemists asked of me now. I'd played every card I had tonight, and I had to believe being with Keith was better than a re-education center.

'It really was' I thought. I had seen how bad things were for those who were at the centers, and even if the car ride with hadn't been awesome to say the least, it had at least been much better than re-education.****

Besides, I'd just fought a hard battle to prove myself and spare Zoe. I had to continue showing I was up for anything.

My father sent me off to pack with the same briskness he'd ordered me to make myself presentable earlier. I left the others talking and scurried quietly up to my room, still conscious of my sleeping mother. I was an expert in packing quickly and efficiently, thanks to surprise trips my father had sprung on me throughout my childhood. In fact, I always had a bag of toiletries packed and ready to go. The problem wasn't so much in speed as it was in wondering how much to pack. The length of time for this assignment hadn't been specified, and I had the uneasy feeling that no one actually knew. Were we talking about a few weeks? An entire school year? I'd heard someone mention the Moroi wanting to repeal the law that endangered Jill, but that seemed like the kind of legal process that could take a while. To make things worse, I didn't even know what to wear to high school. The only thing I was certain of was that the weather would be hot. I ended up packing ten of my lightest outfits and hoped I'd be able to do laundry.

"Always the practical one Sage" Adrian said. "But you should be really thankful that not only could you do laundry, you actually wore uniform in school, otherwise ten outfits would have way to little." I laughed at him and said:

"Yeah I know that know, but you know I was both tired and stressed by the time I packed, so any actions and thoughts made back then is completely justified." Rose, Eddie, Christian and some more fell into laugher by my comment. I was a little surprised - I hadn't even tried to be funny.****

"Sydney?"

"Yes Rose, what is it?" I didn't understand why she suddenly said my name before asking something, and I was even more surprised when she begun to laugh. She said:

"No silly, I was reading!"

"Oh..." I blushed a little, but fell into the laugher that seemed to go around all the others. Soon Rose picked up the book again.****

I was putting my laptop in a messenger bag when Zoe appeared in my doorway. She'd redone her braids so that they were neater, and I wondered if it had been an attempt to impress our father. "Hey," I said, smiling at her. She slipped into the room and shut the door behind her. I was glad she'd come to say goodbye. I would miss her and wanted her to know that -

"Why did you do that to me?" she demanded before I could get a word out. "Do you know how humiliated I am?"

I looked at her now, she was blushing and looked even more embarrassed than she had in the room with my father and the Alchemists. I looked back at Rose, who looked furious at Zoe, but I caught her attention and said:

"Just keep reading, this is in the past there is no need for us to make comments about it." To my big surprise everyone listened to me, and it wasn't until afterwards, when I had asked them about it, that I found out it was because they though I had said that to try to make peace between me and my sister, and they wanted to help me - Not because they thought Zoe deserved it, but because they though I did. It had made me speechless when they told me, but by the time it was happening, it just made me a little confused.****

I was taken aback, speechless for a few moments. "I... what are you talking about? I was trying to - "

"You made me sound incompetent!" she said. I was astonished to see the glint of tears in her eyes. "You went on and on about how I didn't have any experience and couldn't handle doing what you and Dad do! I looked like an idiot in front of all those Alchemists. And Keith."

"Keith Darnell is no one you need to worry about impressing," I said quickly, trying to control my temper. Seeing her stormy face, I sighed and replayed the conversation in the study. I hadn't been trying to make Zoe look bad so much as do whatever I could to make sure I was the one sent away. I'd had no clue she would take it like this. "Look, I wasn't trying to embarrass you. I was trying to protect you."

She gave a harsh laugh, and the anger sounded weird coming from someone as gentle as Zoe. "Is that what you call it? You even said yourself that you were trying to get a promotion!"

Once again I saw all the angry looks, but still there was no one who said anything. As I said before - When I found out why it had made me speechless, and on the verge of tears. My friends really loved me, and if I wanted to be forgiven by my sister, even though they didn't think she deserved it, they were willing to make everything in their power to help me.****

I grimaced. Yes, I had said that. But I could hardly tell her the truth. No human knew the truth about why I'd helped Rose. Lying to my own kind - especially my sister - pained me, but there was nothing I could do. As usual, I felt trapped in the middle.

Adrian hugged my hand in comfort and when I looked him in the eyes they told me that at least he had never believed that lie, he knew me better than that. It pained me to hear this again, pained to know that my own sister didn't know me enough to see through that lie. But then again, I had told it about a hundred times, and I had almost convinced myself by the end, so it wasn't weird that she finally began to believe what I told her.

** So, I dodged the comment.**

"You were never intended to be an Alchemist," I said. "There are better things for you out there."

"Because I'm not as smart as you?" she asked. "Because I don't speak five languages?"

"That has nothing to do with it," I snapped. "Zoe, you're wonderful, and you'd probably make a great Alchemist! But believe me, the Alchemist life...

you don't want any part of it." I wanted to tell her that she'd hate it. I wanted to tell her that she'd never be responsible for her own future or get to make her own decisions again. But my sense of duty prevented me, and I stayed silent.

'It wasn't just my sense of duty' I though darkly. It was the compulsion in the newly re-inked tattoo that made it impossible for me to tell her the truth. It made me angry and a little embarrassed that I hadn't figured it out earlier, but on other hand - when it happened I had still believed that the alchemists wanted to do good, not control their own.****

"I'd do it," she said. "I'd help protect us from vampires... if Dad wanted me to." Her voice wavered a little, and I suddenly wondered what was really fueling her desire to be an Alchemist.

"If you want to get close to Dad, find another way. The Alchemist cause might be a good one, but once you're in it, they own you." I wished I could explain to her how it felt. "You don't want this life."

I looked at Zoe again, and saw that she had tears in her eyes. I wondered why, was it it tears of anger? Embarrassment? Did she feel like I was right? Wrong? I didn't know, I couldn't read her. Except from the tears her face was blank, there was no other emotion visible. I wished we still were close, so that I could hold her in my arms, and ask her what was wrong. Ask her why she was crying, comfort her if she needed it. But that wasn't the case now, and all I could do was to silently watch as the tears rolled down her cheeks.****

"Because you want it all for yourself?" she demanded. She was a few inches shorter than me but filled with so much fury and fierceness right now that she seemed to take up the room.

"No! I don't - you don't understand," I finally said. I wanted to throw my hands up in exasperation but held back, as always.

The look she gave me nearly turned me to ice. "Oh, I think I understand perfectly." She turned around abruptly and hurried out the door, still managing to move quietly. Her fear of our father overpowered her anger at me.

I stared at where she'd been standing and felt terrible. How could she have thought I was really trying to steal all the glory and make her look bad? Because that's exactly what you said, a voice inside me pointed out. I supposed it was true, but I'd never expected her to be offended. I'd never known she had any interest in being one of the Alchemists. Even now, I wondered if her desire was more about being a part of something and proving herself to our father than it was about really wishing she'd been chosen for this task.

By now I knew I had been right. The only reason for her to want to be an alchemist, to want to best the very best alchemist, was to please our father. She wanted him to be proud of her, wanted him to tell her that she was doing everything exactly as she should, and to to tell her she was his favorite daughter. Deep inside me I had the same wish, and when I first became our family's new alchemist, that was exactly what I had hoped for. By know I knew it would never happen, no matter what I did he would always look close enough at it to se even the slightest imperfection. He would never be proud of me, not after what I had done for Rose. And deep in my heart I knew he would never be prod of Zoe either. I didn't think that because I was jealous, but because I knew it was the truth. My fathers highest wish had been for a son of his to take over the family legacy, and since he had no son he would never be satisfied.****

Whatever her reasons, there was nothing to be done for it now. I might not like the heavy-handed way the Alchemists had dealt with me, but I still fiercely believed in what they were doing to protect humans from vampires. And I definitely believed in keeping Jill safe from her own people if it meant avoiding a massive civil war. I could do this job and do it well. And Zoe - she would be free to pursue whatever she wanted in life.

'Yeah cause that plan turned out so well' I thought bitterly. My entire plan had been screwed over, and here she was, the lily on her cheek. I hated the fact that I hadn't been able to protect my own sister, I felt like I had let her down.****

"What took you so long?" my father asked when I returned to the study. My conversation with Zoe had delayed me a couple minutes, which was two minutes too long for him. I didn't attempt to answer.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are," Keith told me. His mood had shifted while I was upstairs. Friendliness oozed from him now, so strongly that it was a wonder everyone didn't recognize it as fake. 

"Faking friendliness wont impress on those alchemists, he should really know that" Rose said. "It could have worked if he had been only a little disrespectful earlier, but considering how much hate he throw at you Sydney, it wont be enough. Believe me, I am the master of knowing how to handle damage control with superiors." All who had been in school with her laughed, Abe looked proud and Guardian Hathaway looked dissatisfied.

"You know, it's not a good thing to have experience of that, Rose" Guardian Hathaway said. "You were lucky that they let you stay at the school, and let you graduate. They could have easily thrown you out, and what would you have done then?"

"Mum, take it easy. It turned out well, didn't it? So why not let me use the knowledge I got in school to learn other what to do if they end up in that situation?" Guardian Hathaway just shook her head, realizing it was useless to argue against Rose when she was in that mood.

**He'd apparently decided to try a more pleasant attitude around me, either in the hopes of impressing the others or sucking up to me so that I wouldn't reveal what I knew about him. Yet even as he wore that plastic smile, there was a stiffness in his posture and the way he crossed his arms that told me - if no else - that he was no happier about being thrown together than I was. "I can even do most of the driving."**

"Wow what a gentleman" Christian said sarcastic.

"It must have been awful for you with someone else driving, especially someone you don't like" Eddie said mockingly.

"It was, but I think I drove about 75 percent of the way" I said with a smile. Eddie laughed and said:

"That sounds more like the Sydney I know." Everyone who didn't live in Palm Springs looked utterly confused by this conversation, so Eddie explained:

"Sydney doesn't let anyone drive her car, and that is for two reasons. One - She think we will harm her loved car. And two - She think we will harm her and her loved car. I have driven it like five times, and still I get a full hour lecture before I get the keys. Every time." This time the others joined the laugher, and I said:

"Hey! A car should be treated as is deserves, and that is with the respect!" which only made them laugh harder. Finally Rose was sane enough to read again.****

"I don't mind doing my share," I said, trying to avoid glancing at his glass eye. I also wasn't comfortable being driven by someone with faulty depth perception.

"I'd like to speak to Sydney in private before she goes, if that's all right," my father said.

"That is good, that he takes you aside to say goodbye. You were probably right, we shouldn't have judged him, we don't know him" Guardian Hathaway said with a smile. I smiled back and said:

"No you shouldn't have, I you still shouldn't even after this." They looked at me, confused, and only Adrian seemed to understand that I meant that she was wrong. He didn't take me aside to say goodbye, or at least not in the way Guardian Hathaway thought.****

No one had a problem with that, and he led me into the kitchen, shutting the door behind us. We stood quietly for a few moments, simply facing each other with arms crossed. I suddenly dared to hope that maybe he'd come to tell me he was sorry for how things had been between us this last month, that he forgave me and loved me. Honestly, I would've been happy if he'd simply wanted a private, fatherly goodbye.

"Not a word" I warned the others, using my most deathly glare. Apparently it was working, because even though most looked angry, upset and like they wanted to kill someone, preferably my father, when Rose begun to read again, no one uttered a single word.****

He peered down at me intently, his brown eyes so identical to mine. I hoped mine never had such a cold look in them. "I don't have to tell you how important this is for you, for all of us."

So much for fatherly affection.

"No, sir," I said. "You don't."

"I don't know if you can undo the disgrace you brought down on us by running off with them, but this is a step in the right direction. Do not mess this up. You're being tested. Follow your orders. Keep the Moroi girl out of trouble." He sighed and ran a hand through his dark blond hair, which I'd also inherited. Strange, I thought, that we had so many things in common... yet were so completely different. "Thank God Keith is with you. Follow his lead. He knows what he's doing."

I stiffened. There was that note of pride in his voice again, like Keith was the greatest thing walking the earth. My father had seen to it that my training was thorough, but when Keith had stayed with us, my father had taken him on trips and lessons I'd never been part of. My sisters and I had been furious.

"I know you said we weren't aloud to speak Sage, but I just have to: Your. Father. Is. A. Jerk. And he is discriminating against females. Believe me, I am the expert of shitty parents, especially fathers, and yours is awful. he shouldn't treat you like that, you deserve so much more." He didn't sound angry or upset, he sounded sad. Like he was feeling sorry for I had gone thru, and it was much harder than if he had been angry. I knew he was right, but I didn't want to admit why my father was the way he was. It was private, and even if I didn't mind Adrian knowing, I didn't want everyone to know, so I simply said:

"Adrian don't. I know you want to help me, but this isn't helpful. Please." I hated how pleading I was sounding, but I was on the verge of tears, so there was nothing I could do against it. he hugged my hand tighter, motioned for Rose to read and then whispered:

"I love you, don't you ever forget that." I didn't say it back, it wasn't needed, he could see it in my eyes. I smiled a small smile in thanks to him, before I turned back to Rose, still with Adrian's hand in mine, his thumb moving in soothing circles over my hand.****

We'd always suspected that our father regretted having only daughters, and that had been proof. But it wasn't jealousy that made my blood boil and teeth clench now.

For a moment, I thought, What if I tell him what I know? What will he think of his golden boy then? But staring into my father's hard eyes, I answered my own question: No one would believe me. That was immediately followed by the memory of another voice and a girl's frightened, pleading face staring at me with big brown eyes. Don't tell, Sydney. Whatever you do, don't tell what Keith did. Don't tell anyone. I couldn't betray her like that.

I avoided all the looks I was getting, all the unsaid questions that were hanging in the air. It was hard, but I knew that if I looked up, there was a risk of them seeing the truth. At last, they all turned away again, all but one of them. When I finally did look up, it was straight into the eyes of my sister. And I saw that had understood. She had figured out that the girl was our other sister, had realized what Keith had done to her. Zoe's eyes were filled with emotions, such as disbelief and hatred. But for the first time since we got to this dammed room, the feelings wasn't towards me, it was her new feelings for Keith. I felt a little hope in my chest. Maybe this book wasn't only bad, maybe it would win me back my sister when she realized I had told her the truth.****

My father was still waiting for an answer. I swallowed and nodded. "Yes, sir."

He raised his eyebrows, clearly pleased, and gave me a rough pat on the shoulder. It was the closest he'd come to real affection in a while. I flinched, both from surprise and because of how rigid I was with frustration. "Good." He moved toward the kitchen door and then paused to glance back at me.

"Maybe there's hope for you yet."

"And that is the end of this chapter" Rose exclaimed.

"Bad ending" Lissa noted and I couldn't help but to silently agree with her. The rest of the people nodded their heads, and then Rose said:

"Your turn" and gave the book to Neil. He hadn't said one single word since we came to this room, but now he took the book and said:

**Chapter 3**

* * *

As usual, please leave a review!

/kajjjann


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